You had me at 'who are you'
by kairi clone
Summary: Everybody I ever knew believed the lies I told. Until now. OCxhavoc OCxed OCxroy . Havoc fans, FMA fans, welcome and enjoy, hopefully as much as I did writing it.
1. Chapter 1: so many lies :updated:

**This chapter has been updated! Still the same idea, nothing should have changed except for more detail and more explanations. Enjoy! **

Chapter 1

Edward was the short one, Kyara was the spunky one, and Al was the sweet one. What was I, then? Did I even belong with that group? Of course I didn't. It was all a lie. Our friendship was just the bridge to the completion of my mission. It was strictly professional.

They didn't know anything about me…and truthfully, I didn't know much about myself. The only thing I did know about myself was what my master, Greed, had told me.

"_Your father killed your mother when you were only at three years old… then he abandoned you… and, well, I took you up from there….Now leave me alone."_ That is all he ever said about my family. I knew there was more to the story. I just didn't know what. There were things hidden from me about my past; perhaps it contained all the answers to why, sometimes, weird things would happen to me, things I couldn't explain.

Greed was the one who had taken me in when I was so young, but for punishment of living with a homunculus, I was forced to do what I was told. He taught me everything he knew. Everything I knew about the world came from him. There was nobody else to look after me. Sometimes, he didn't have the answers, so I would have to find out for myself. My curiosity for information got me into trouble at times. What else what I supposed to do, though? There weren't really any other options. You could say that's how I ended up here.

"Rose, c'mon!" the short blonde female said, beckoning me to get on the train before it took off towards the city. The military Head Quarters was there: my target. I nodded and pulled off my best fake smile and filed onto the train with the three others. The train's whistle blared and we began to move. I had to admit, I was pretty excited to be going the HQ building, even if it was for an ulterior motive. I quickly banished my nervous thoughts. There were more important things to worry about. _5:00…_

I sat next to the window and watched the station leave my sight, resting my head on the window, which rattled my head from the jerking tracks. Kyara moved in next to me, with Edward and Al sitting across from us.

"I'm so excited! Kari is gonna be there!" she said with excitement. Kari was their long time friend they picked up on one of their travels, and now worked at Head Quarters. A Kyara put it, Kari was a "hopeless romantic". I didn't know the meaning of the words. Sounded like an oxymoron to me.

"Yup… so is that stupid big-headed fire snapper…." Ed said begrudgingly. Roy, the Colonel, wasn't quite Ed's cup of tea as far as friendships go. In fact, it seemed like he didn't want to go to HQ at all because of him, considering the look he gave to the scenery passing by in the window beneath blonde strands of loose hair. He certainly was odd looking, but with a fairly built body and facial features. Maybe that's why Kyara was attracted to him.

"Brother, don't worry about Roy. He doesn't pick on you as much as you think, and he'll probably be busy with Kari anyhow…" Al said, trying to calm down the short-tempered psychotic midget. We called Al the tin can. His body was completely made of metal armor. I still didn't know exactly how it happened, but none the less, he was Ed's brother. At least, the soul inside of the armor was. His words came out as an echo inside the large metal chasm. Ed said it was from an experiment that he and Al had conducted and had gone wrong. From the way he told me that one night, though, it seemed like there was more to the story that was just too painful to tell. I personally didn't know much about alchemy. I focused my special crafts otherwise.

"Yes! I heard from Kari herself that she has been developing feelings for Roy for a while now… how I love young love!"

"Kyara, how do you find out these things?" asked Al, who seemed sincere. Kari shrugged with a sly smile.

"We girls have our secrets… don't we, Rose?"

At first, I didn't register that she was talking to me. When a silence fell over the cart, I quickly snapped out of my trance and nodded in agreement, not realizing what I had agreed to. Kyara seemed pleased, and picked up the tattered book next to her, leaving Al equally confused.

I could see Ed blushing out of the corner of my eye, trying to look distracted by the outside scenery, but taking occasional glances in Kyara's direction. I knew he liked Kyara, ever since he had saved her from a 30 foot drop in Lior. The rest of the night, whenever they looked at each other during our complimentary dinner, their cheeks would turn noticeably pink. Al would look in my direction, and I could sense him smiling inside. I couldn't help giving him a smirk. He was about the only one that I could tolerate out of the three; he was the most mature, even though he was the youngest.

The train ride seemed to drone on for days, yet it only had lasted a few hours. Time passed slowly, and I found myself checking the clock regularly only to bring more agony upon myself. The whole time, Kyara babbled on about HQ and all the "interesting" people, only to return to her book until she had something interesting to say. The military dogs sounded quite boring to me, but that could have been because of my lack of interest in ordinary people. The only ones that sounded interesting were those that I would soon enough have to worry about.

I found my eyes were getting heavy, and attempted to find a comfortable position. However, each time I found myself drifting off into sleep, Kyara would come up with something new to talk about and jerk me awake. Ed and Al, unlike me, entered these conversations, which only encouraged her to talk more. I prayed to any god out there for some mysterious bullet to lodge its way into my head for a quick and painless release from my helpless torture. The odds of that, disappointingly, were slim to none.

Finally, as the hours passed, night had fallen over the sky. The windows turned black, and I could see the reflection of the cart in the window. I averted my eyes from the pale, brunette looking back; she looked depressed and sullen, her eyes so brown they almost looked like black holes. Kyara was asleep, as were Ed and Al. I, on the other hand, decided to look around for another place to be. I was trained throughout my life to be nocturnal.

I crept out of our cabin, sliding open the door. The hallway was empty and the lights in each person's quarters were out. All life around was silent, save the train engineers. I gently shut the door behind me, careful not to wake the others.

I needed to get out of that crowded room, and away from Ed's disturbing snoring, (how the other two were able to get to sleep so easily must have been some immunity of theirs), so I climbed up through the escape route on the roof and onto the top of the train.

The wind whistled in my ears and traveled through all strands of my hair as I sat up outside of the train. I instantly felt my mind clearing, remembering what my purpose for being here was. _I told them so many lies, _I thought to myself… but they would never know. They would never know the real me, and I doubted they would want to. As far as I knew, my secret was still safe. I promised Greed I would never tell a soul of my connection with him; partly because I didn't have anyone else to turn to if I said no, and partly because he threatened to "accidentally" drive a knife into my skull if I did. These threats of his had come something of a normal occurrence to me. I hardly flinched anymore, yet I could tell that he would not have hesitated to follow through. There was something dark and strong inside of him, and part of it had been driven into me as well. I felt myself slowly becoming like him every time I obeyed his demands. What I was forced to do was not good, either. Well, they were good to him. Just no one else.

I met up with the threesome a week before now on the road. My story was all planned out: I was a traveler who ran out of money and didn't have a ride, and they were to be guilted into giving me one to the nearest town. They asked where I was from and I told them I didn't know. That was the first lie I told them. Everything I said was carefully constructed by Greed… and none of it was true. I actually did know where I came from, in a way, and I wasn't actually traveling. Greed planted me there at the time so they would see me as they were driving down the road; I had to choose my words carefully to ensure they would take me into their hospitality. I even convinced them that it would be beneficial to them if I travelled with them. I even told them that I was good with combat; that was probably the only truth, besides my name. They agreed to let me tag along, and since then, I've been trying to help them find the most precious item known to existence: The Philosophers Stone.

The Philosophers Stone: a magical stone that carries the essence to do any form of alchemy, even the forbidden practices, while defying the property of equal exchange. That is, instead of giving an equal amount of matter and result, one could create anything they wished without giving something in return. The ways in which the stone is made has been said to be unthinkably cruel, and the fact that it still existed was questioned by scientists everywhere. Some considered the stone a cheat code to life. One could create whatever they desired without having to pay a single atom of matter. I personally wasn't too interested in the object, but in order to gain the group's trust and keep my life, I had to accept their terms and help out. Luckily, they needed an extra somebody who could help fend off the people that got in their way, and I happened to be that somebody. I had exceptional training for combat… including killing. Combat was a skill set I used less of. Killing, however, was a specialty of mine.

"Rose?..." I heard a small voice utter through the opening below. I jumped and reached my hand to my belt, ready to pull the hilt of my dagger out in defense. I slowly put it away, realizing that it was only the Chatty Cathy. I sighed and smiled in my convincing way.

"Hi… what are you doing up?" I asked quizzically. She got up through the space and rubbed her eyes, yawning like a dog worn out from digging bones all day. She shivered from the rushing wind and held herself, only wearing a thin cotton tank, shorts, and combat boots. Her blonde hair was in a short ponytail, the red streaks darker in the moonlight.

"Well… I saw your seat empty… and then I went outside the room and saw the top open. As I guessed, here you are." She said and smiled gently. The smile… … the smile made me feel so guilty I had to lower my gaze from it. No matter how many times I saw it, I still had to look away. She actually thought I was her friend. Here came the shame that Greed failed to prepare me for when getting me ready for my mission.

I had never had a friend before because Greed obviously didn't count as anything more than a master, which is probably why I was the way I was. He kept his thoughts and his secrets to himself. Even if I bothered to ask him, he would simply ignore me. That, or find a way of shutting me up.

Kyara told me stuff she couldn't tell Ed or Al, which made me feel… like I meant something to her. I was always following the orders of Greed unwillingly, but this was a whole new type of loyalty. I had a secret to keep, and not one that I was forced to. I could have told Ed and Al… I could have done anything with the information she gave me… but I didn't. I had a choice. I had a choice and decided to take it to the small sliver of goodness in my seemingly non-existent heart. It's different when you have a choice… you feel like a different person… something greater than yourself.

There was one small, yet important exception: Greed _made_ me tell him everything, like he was going to once I met up with him in Central. Every single conversation, every single fact, every word they would tell me… they would go strait to Greed. I was a horrible person… but it had to be done. For my sake, and theirs. Besides, what would he do with the information anyways? It seemed fairly harmless.

"Yeah! I guess I just needed some fresh air… and a break from Ed's unbearable snoring…" I said and giggled awkwardly. She laughed as well. There was a long silence as we both looked at the trees passing by us, their details fuzzy like a blurry picture.

"I think we'll be there soon… in the morning, maybe." She said and began inching down through the hole again. "See ya then! Don't stay up too late!"

She disappeared. My smile faded into the night as I lay onto my back and stared at the stars. So many… so many stars… so many lies… and for the first time, I wondered:

_Will I ever have control over my own life?_

**Read and Review : )**


	2. Chapter 2: Big Reunion :updated:

**Replaced Chapter 2! Enjoy : )**

Chapter 2

Upon waking up, I was surprised to find myself back in the cart, leaning against the window. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. The others were up as well, but not as tired-looking as I knew I must have appeared.

"Rose! Good morning!" Al piped up as I began to stir. The three beamed at me, waiting for me to say something. Sometimes, I felt like a television to them. I blinked a few times and remembered I had come back inside half asleep after an hour of lying on the roof.

"Morning…" my tired body managed to mutter. I yawned so big I could have sucked in the world, but quickly put a hand over my mouth to cover up my rudeness. "Are we almost there?"

"Yeah… they said about 5 more minutes…" Ed said, staring out the window. I could feel my heart beat a tad bit faster with excitement, but I hid any expression giving it away. We were almost there… I couldn't believe it. Sure… I had done it before… I had done missions before… but it wasn't like the other times, where I barely knew the people I would have to… betray. I was about to be in the center of very important military operations, filled to the brim with soldiers who would die to liquidate criminals such as me. The idea terrified and intrigued me at the same time. This was it.

The train whistle startled all of us and I jerked my head to the window. Instead of trees, buildings were beginning to come into view, and we started to slow down. The outline of a city stood right past the gates, and slowly crawled to a stop in front of a busy platform. _So many people…_

"We're here!" Kyara exclaimed and jumped up from her seat. I couldn't help but stay seated, staring out the window at the bustling train station, where people weaved in and out of the crowd, hurrying to and from the trains. When I finally came to my senses, I gulped down all the negative thoughts keeping me in the seat, and followed the three friends to the end of the cart where the door to a whole other world stood open, welcoming me. A stout attendant smiled at me as I passed by, but I could sense a hint of curiosity. I must have looked strange to him.

"Welcome to East City! Watch your step, please,"

* * *

"Well… welcome to the military's Eastern Head Quarters!" Kyara said excitedly, outstretching a hand to the large building. I stared, not noticing how big my eyes had grown.

The building was very large, but not quite as big as I had expected. It was, however, spread over a wide area, with squares of grass and a sparse amount of trees adorning the very large courtyard. Most of the building was surrounded by a tall, stone gate, but nothing too tall to climb. I had already begun planning my escape routes.

"Um… tada?" Ed said, obviously noticing my abnormal behavior. I quickly shook my head and turned back to them.

"Um… great! Can't wait to meet everybody!" I said, smiling. Luckily, they bought it and headed up the steps. I hesitated a moment and followed them, heading inside underneath the green banner hanging above the large double doors. Kyara and Al pushed them open, and as I headed inside, I felt uneasy again. My stomach went into knots, my hands beginning to shake. I was here for all the wrong reasons…

I could hear his voice echoing in my thoughts as we walked down the hall… _"Your target will be assigned when we meet… five o clock around the corner, just around the time everyone will be filing off for dinner… don't be suspected, and don't be late…"_ the shivers ran up my body. Kyara had been giving me a personalized tour as we walked down the halls, but I had blocked her out.

"And in here, we'll stop to meet Colonel Roy Mustang. Hopefully he's in his office," She said, and opened the door we had stopped by. She held it open for me and I cautiously walked in.

It looked like a normal office: A couch and two chairs facing each other, creating a path to the desk behind them. A few glass cabinets stood against the walls, showing off the office-holders shiny medals and trophies of military honor.

"Kari, do you think you could grab me a glass of water off that table over there?…" The black-haired boy-who I only assumed was Roy- sitting at the desk said behind an open paper on his desk. Apparently he had no idea who he was talking to.

"Kari?" I muttered and he lifted his head. The paper went down on his desk, a smirk shown on his face. For some reason, I expected him to have a slightly aged face with a few scars here and there to show his long years of military loyalty, but that wasn't the case at all. He looked no older than 25, hardly old enough for a simple military maggot. I was only a few years younger than him, if that was the case. _How strange…_

"Well now… it appears you aren't. Who, may I ask, are you then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Kyara entered, the Elric brothers following.

"Hi Roy! Long time no see!" Kyara sat down on the couch.

"Hello Kyara. Alphonse, Fullmetal, nice to see you again." He smiled as Ed rolled his eyes, Al simply waving with politeness.

"Hello again, Colonel. This is our new friend, Rose. She'll be traveling with my brother and I for a while, along with Kyara. Her strength is combat, and we thought that maybe we could use some extra protection," Al explained. I smiled and gave a small wave, still inspecting this mysterious Roy and wondering why he was so young. He had definite potential as a target.

"I see… and where did you find her?" he asked as if I was incapable of speaking for myself. There was no reason for interrupting, however, so I stayed silent.

"She needed a ride out of Resembool…instead we decided to let her travel with us since she didn't have any idea where she wanted to go." Kyara said as she lounged on the couch, acting as if she knew the office like the back of her hand. Ed leaned against the wall with no interest in the conversation, possibly because that would mean speaking to Roy.

"Please make yourself comfortable." He said, and held out a gloved hand toward the second chair. I shuffled over and sunk down into the feather cushions, the most comfortable piece of furniture I had the luxury of since… well, in all honesty, I couldn't remember ever being in such a luxurious place, at least as a guest. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered faster. I noticed the red insignia stitched onto Roy's his white glove, which was stroking his chin with intrigue. An alchemy circle.

"So tell me…" Roy began, but was cut off when the door swung open to let another person in.

"Hey Roy! Wutcha-…" the girl at the door said, but stopped when she saw the guests. Her green eyes glowed when she saw my three escorts and gasped. She had red hair that barely passed her shoulders and what seemed to be an electrically hyper personality, from what I could see. People like her made it hard to do my job. They were so innocent. They only saw the goodness in people, which stretched far from the truth. "Eddy! Al!... Kyara!" she practically screamed and Kyara stood up, graciously taking up a hug. I sank deeper into my chair. "You guys made it! I'm so happy! I forgot you were coming in today!" she screeched, and looked to Ed and Al, who merely waved. A headache was threatening to form if this little reunion continued. She was acting like a small child on Christmas morning who found a pony in the backyard.

"The trip was so worth it! I'm happy we're here… it's like a reunion. We even brought a friend." Kyara said, looking over towards me. I could feel my face getting red with embarrassment and nervousness, but my smile took away any suspicious appearances.

"Hi. I'm Rose." I said.

"I'm Kari!" the red head said with joy and turned towards Roy. She bounced on her tipp toes like a little girl unable to contain the excitement of a cookie. "We have a guest! Isn't this exciting!..." she said and skipped over to Roy's desk. Good… a quick introduction… nothing long and brutal. And then something interesting occurred: both of their cheeks turned a noticeable shade of pink, bringing back the memory on the train when Kyara mentioned Kari's fondness for Roy. I wondered what that feeling was.

"So… Rose… tell us about yourself. Why did you leave Resembool?" Roy questioned me, coming back from his little fantasy. "What made you decide to join up with this odd little bunch?"

"Well… t-there was a lot of traveling and um… moving… and … decisions I had to make…" I said, mentally slapping myself for the stutters. Roy raised his eyebrows, expecting more. For some reason, all the back-story Greed had given to me disappeared out of my memory. _Dammit Rose, calm down…_

"I see… so you must not have been in Resembool for very long, then, if you have been travelling so much?" he said and stood up. I looked around to see all faces staring at me, even Ed, who was just a moment ago uninterested in any conversation going on in the room. I gulped down slowly. "Nobody stood out to you as… potential friends?"

"Well… I did meet a lot of people on my travels…"

"Oh? Anybody associated with the military?"

"Um…I don't remember… probably not… " I said meekly, unsure of what else to say. _I must look like a bumbling idiot. I can hardly control my nerves._ Luckily, Kyara came to my rescue.

"Oh Roy, quit questioning her… can't you see you're making her nervous?"

"Of course. My apologies… although I don't see what she has to be so nervous about…we are her friends, now," He said with a grin and moved to the door. "Kyara, Kari, Ed, Al, please follow me… Rose, if you'll excuse us for a moment." He said assumingly and led everybody out of the room.

It couldn't have been easier. It was as if he was asking me to rummage through his desk. I stood up and silently moved towards his post as five sets of footsteps moved down the hallway, my hands shaking, but much calmer than they were now that I was alone. Working quickly, I began rummaging through the official papers. Nothing was standing out as important… many of them were reports of homunculus appearances, which did not interest me, or my master, who was one himself; He had told me that I need not bother concerning myself with that sort of documentation, for he was his own supplier of homunculus information.

The homunculi were neither human, nor a myth. It was a being created when people attempted to perform human transfiguration. These beings had dedicated their lives to finding the philosopher's stone with no intention of being stopped. If one ever had a chance to kill them, which itself was an endeavor unknown to most, it would have been rare to succeed. All the information I knew of them, and the clan they had formed, came from Greed, so a lot of it I didn't understand. I always wondered myself how they managed to escape the clutches death.

Before I could hear the footsteps outside, the door swung open again, abruptly interrupting my thoughts. I quickly moved away from the desk and stood like a deer in the headlights at the person who had entered.

**For newcomers, please keep reading! I promise that it picks up. And please review! I love feedback! : )**


	3. Chapter 3: unexpected actions :updated:

**Updated Chapter Three! Enjoy! **

Chapter 3

It took a moment before the person in the doorway had noticed I was there, for he was looking at the stack of papers in his hands. When he looked up from them, stopping in his stride while startled at my appearance, my heart thumped hard against my chest. The person was a young man, perhaps around the age of the Colonel, with shorter, messy-gelled blonde hair and electric eyes. He was wearing a strapping blue military uniform, like most of the people I had seen in the building. He looked up from the door and froze, his ice-blue eyes staring strait into mine.

For a moment, all we were doing was staring. I knew he hadn't seen me rummaging through the desk, but it was as if he knew all the same. After all, I was suspiciously close to the desk.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Who are you?" he asked, his eyes large and slightly fearful. I couldn't breath. _Why am I so nervous? _

"I… R-rose…" I croaked, babbling like an idiot. _What are you doing, Rose? Snap out of it! Staring is rude! _It's not like I had any reason to; I wasn't interrogating him. Yet, I couldn't look away. His blue eyes were like magnets.

"Okay… well what are you doing in here? Does Colonel Mustang know you are in his office unattended?" he asked quizzically, his eyes squinting with suspicion. I felt like a complete idiot. It took me a moment to pull my act together.

"He does. I was brought here by Kyara and the Elric brothers. I'm traveling with them" I said without hesitation. There we go. That couldn't have been any more unsuspicious…

But he was still looking at me with the same expression. _Why isn't it working?_

"Where are they then?" he asked, keeping his eyes on me. Good point. His eyes quickly flicked down to the desk beside me, then back at me. "And where's the Colonel? It's not like him to leave a stranger in his office,"

"They left for a moment… they should be back any second." I said quickly. He blinked and began moving towards the desk on the other side of the room, keeping his distance. I moved away from the desk and turned slowly, our eyes still locked. They were so blue, mesmerizing. It wasn't like me to feel inferior, but for some reason, my confidence was sinking down. He glanced up and down quickly, getting the full image of my figure. Feeling uncomfortable, I put my hand on my shoulder, as if to cover myself up. I felt like maybe it wasn't right to look at him any longer, but I still ended up doing so.

"Well… I'm leaving these here for Colonel Mustang…" he said and set down the papers he was holding onto the messy desk, widening his eyes with warning. "… Try not to touch them, okay?… I guess I'll be seeing you around…" He said slowly and moved around towards the door. The door clicked shut, and I snapped back to reality. I breathed in a deep, silent breath, as if I had been drowning in the ocean's water and finally broke through to the surface.

_What… was that? What just happened?_ I had lost all self control…. It wasn't even _me_ there. I couldn't even control where my eyes were looking, let alone anything about the situation.

Which made me wonder; what _else_ would this place do to me, especially with that… mysterious guy around?

I moved slowly over to the chair, my only comfort, trying to get my heart's furious beating to slow down. Sinking once more into the cushion, I snapped my attention the red door as it opened again, slightly startling me. _Is it that boy again?_ No. Roy and the others were back.

"Rose?" Roy said, everybody standing and looking down at me. Now I knew how Edward always felt. "We have decided you can stay here at Head Quarters for the time being. Kyara, Ed, and Al are staying here a while for research purposes, so I suppose we'll have to find you someplace to stay as well," He said, and glanced down at his watch. "Well, it's almost five right now. Perhaps we should all hustle down to the-"

"_Almost five?_" I said loudly, standing up. I glanced out the window and the sky was in mid-sunset. I was going to be late! They all gave me confused looks, their minds probably questioning what had just come out of the girl who seemed silent. "I mean… if you'll excuse me… I need to use the bathroom…"

"Sure… Kari, will you please escort our guest to the nearest lavatory? There should be one right down the-"

"Oh, that won't be necessary; I can find it on my own." I interrupted and smiled. Roy sighed, distrust in his eyes. I swallowed, hoping he would give in.

"Just don't wander far. I have a few questions for you to answer for me."

"Of course," I said nervously, and hustled out the door.

**Btw, I guess I said this in my last version, but this Rose is not the Rose from the Anime/Manga. It's my own OC. Just wanted to clear that up. Happy reading : )**


	4. Chapter 4: Call me Havoc :updated:

**Updated chapter 4! 7/21/2011. **

Chapter 4

I had totally forgotten about the meeting. Clearly my mind had been too preoccupied with other matters. The hallway was luckily empty, save a few blue-clad soldiers on duty. I could barely see in front of me, for I was walking as fast as I could without breaking into a sprint. If I was late… I was definitely possible that I could be in big trouble. People moved out of the way in confusion as I sped past doorways and picture frames. I turned a corner and ran into somebody, but quickly regained my footing and continued on my way.

"UGH... sorry!" I yelled back, not able to get a look at them, and honestly not caring. I didn't have time to stop and make sure they were alright. I kept going until I reached the doors outside.

I sped down the steps and broke into a run across the large courtyard, a few groups of soldiers whispering to each other as I passed them. I rounded the corner around the stone wall and headed to the alleyway to the right of the entrance. Looking around, no Greed was in sight. _Where could he be?_ Was I early, or was he the one late?

"You're late…" his voice finally came out of the darkness. I turned around surprised, even though this sort of secret meeting happened all of the time, usually with him jumping out of the shadows. I didn't care at this point, for I had given all of my effort to get out of the building as fast as I could.

"By how much!" I said exasperatedly, trying to catch my breath.

"Two minutes… … that could have been all the time I needed to give you your orders. You could have been on your way back there by now, you useless girl!" he scolded, and as I expected, his hand came down hard upon my cheek. I grabbed my face, which stung from the slap, and backed away. "Now… you are to do EXACTLY what you are told, do you understand me?... because you, my dear, are to do everything and anything your master tells you to do… so if I send for you at five o clock, you come out here at EXACTLY five o clock. If I tell to be unsuspected by the others, then you will be unsuspected by the others… and if I tell you to kill anybody I name… then you will kill anybody… _anybody_ I name. No matter what happens. Got that?" he whispered forcefully down at me. The word _kill _sent shivers down my spine. _What would the others think if they heard this conversation? _

"Yes… I understand…"

_ "Then do it Rose! You are an assassin, and assassins follow all orders they are given, no matter what!...I do everything for you, so I think its fair if you return the favor every once and a while, instead of being careless and irresponsible!"_ he practically screamed at me, as if I had betrayed him in a terrible way. But really, I had only arrived late to a secretive meeting… by two minutes. He was overreacting, as usual, and most likely on purpose; he wanted to be unpredictable. At that moment, I hoped somebody would hear his over-zealous reaction… I hoped somebody could just take me away from him, tell me that there is something wrong about our relationship, that I didn't deserve to be treated that way… but that would never happen. Nobody knew, or cared, what was happening in the dark alley.

"Y-yes, Greed…" I managed to utter, not wishing to upset him anymore. He could sense my submission, and a few tears clouded the furious image before me. He smiled, his sharp teeth showing. My tears gave him great pleasure, a symbol of his power. I shuddered and stood up tall. "I'll do whatever you tell me to do."

"That's my girl… now, I have not decided yet who to kill, but keep inspecting and rummaging around. Meet here every night from now on at 10 o clock. 5 is too early, the sun will still be up… now go." He said, as if I wasn't late at all, and shooed me away. I quickly ran out from the side of the building and furiously rubbed at my eyes to get rid of the leaking wetness. The others couldn't see me like that. They would know that something was up, that I hadn't been in the bathroom in their absence.

I wished there was a way to be free. After coming to this new place, I had begun to doubt myself as a true killer. But somehow, my mind was compelled to follow any command Greed gave me. I knew the real reason why I had to keep doing it… there was only one real explanation. Greed knew who I was… he knew who my parents were… and he knew he could use that to his advantage.

"Rose, have you been crying?" Kyara asked when I came back into the room. She must have seen my puffy red eyes. I shook my head vigorously.

"N-no! Of course not! I just have allergies…" I said, and pulled off a very convincing sneeze. Stupid excuse. Allergies are triggered from being _outside._

"Do you want some allergy medicine?" Kari asked, going near the door.

"Oh, no! It's fine! It comes and goes, you know… it'll probably be gone in a few minutes." I said, stopping her from leaving. She gave a slanted, concerned smile.

"Now then…" Roy said from his desk with a smirk on his face, which made me uneasy. "Before we send you to your living quarters… I would like you to meet one of my second hand men." He said. "He should be here any-" Roy began, but was cut off. Somebody had just opened the door and come inside. "Ah, Lieutenant Havoc. Meet our new friend, Miss Rose."

I turned around, and quickly looked at the ground. It was HIM. It was the guy who I had made a complete fool in front of in the office. My stomach lurched. Would he rat me out?

"We've just met" he said in a soft way. "She told me her name while you were out talking. But I never got a chance to tell her mine." He said, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. I was making it a point to avoid looking into his eyes again. That had only caused me trouble.

"Ah yes… I see… well Rose, meet one of my most loyal subordinates, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc." Roy stated, introducing us. I looked up, feeling it would be rude to look at the ground any longer, and began studying his face, now that it wasn't staring at mine. He looked down at the ground and scratched his blonde hair, embarrassed by the Colonel's introduction. I searched for an imperfection on his face, perhaps a lone blemish or a crooked nose. I couldn't find any. It seemed too perfect. Maybe that was why I couldn't look away before.

"Call me Havoc." He said, and I noticed his hand outstretching. I looked from his face down to the polite gesture. Hesitantly, I put out my hand and grabbed his, when suddenly a jolt of energy went through my fingertips and traveled up my arm at his touch. I quickly let go, confused as to what happened. Havoc gave me the weirdest look… not surprised, not scared, but… as if he felt it as well. I furrowed my brow.

"Are you okay Rose?" Kyara asked, coming over to me. I didn't answer, but stared at my hand.

"Are you sure you don't want any meds or pain killers?" Kari inquired. I didn't need medicine. I needed to know what just happened to me.

"No… I-I'm fine… just a small headache, probably the allergies, but it'll go away" I lied, and gave Kyara and Kari a reassuring look. My excuses really had taken a turn for the worst. Kyara attempted a smile, but it was difficult for her to cover her confusion. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Havoc was inspecting me, his arms crossed, just as puzzled as I was but clearly better at hiding it.

"I've put Jean in charge of showing you around the building and to your lodgings. Perhaps you can lie down, get to bed early," Roy suggested. I nodded, and once registering what he said, realizing that I would be alone with Havoc. I felt my forehead, which burned like a hot stove.

"Rose, why is your face so red?"

"Oh Ed, leave her alone!"

"I'm just pointing it out Kyara! She's usually so pale. Maybe she is sick. Kari, why don't you go feel her forehead."

"Kyara, Ed, everyone. I'll take it from here. Glad to have you back, Fullmetal." Havoc said politely, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt it again… the shocking feeling… but it was subtler now, like a dull current running through my arm. Thankfully, I made it out of the door without showing any abnormality. His hand slid off to his side as we walked out into the hallway, delicately lit by streams the setting sun that beamed through the windows.

**You know what to do….**


	5. Chapter 5: the feminine note

**Arggg no reviews… poo… you guys are not nice :( … oh well. Here's the next chapter. Hope its good enough for you to review hackcoughmeanieshackcough.**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter 5

There was a silence. A long one. The halls were surprisingly deserted, and everything around us was quiet. He shuffled to put his hands in his pockets. Great… this was great…

Not.

"Um… aren't you supposed to… like… show me around?..." I said, getting fed up.

"Right… I'll bring you to where you're going to stay." He said, and began walking. That was IT! That was the tour of this huge place! Walking me to my room! Greed would not be happy about this… not happy at all.

We walked down a few halls and up a few flights of stairs, and finally reached a door. He took out a key and unlocked it, opening the door for me. I walked inside and felt along the wall for the light switch. On came the lights, and I was staring into a small bedroom with a plain bed, a small dresser, a night stand, and a door to the right, obviously leading to the bathroom.

"Well, here's your room. Don't leave it until somebody comes. My dorm is right next door, so I'll be able to know if you leave. Take ONE step out of this dorm while nobody is with you, and I promise you'll be sorry." He said, and I didn't understand a word. What did he mean, "don't go out of the room"? Wasn't I a guest here? He walked around and faced me. He was taller, so I had to look up. There they were. Those eyes… just looking right through my disguise, peering into the real me. "Rose, I mean it… don't go wandering off…" he said, and moved around me again. As he did, his arm barely brushed my shoulder, and shivers went up and down my spine. There was something he knew that I didn't.

The door quietly shut behind him, and I was left all alone in the boring room. What to do NOW? Just wait? I finally noticed the window facing the city. At least I would be able to get out at nine o clock unsuspected. I checked my clock. 6:00. much too early to go to bed, but what else was there to do?

I slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on it, thinking about all that was going on. Everything was confusing me… and I wasn't one to get confused easily. Why was I being forced to stay in here anyways? Did he think I was going to go wander off and spy?... well… that's pretty much what I was going to do. Did that mean… no. Of course not! He couldn't have known I was an assassin. There were absolutely no clues, and I was confident of my acting abilities. I could only guess that time would tell, sooner or later, the truth behind his peculiar behavior.

I looked up to the wall, and there sat me. I examined myself through the mirror: white alchemy shirt with black overcoat, purple mini skirt with black shorts, leg bracer boots, arm gloves, long brown hair down to the rear end, and dark brown eyes that seemed lifeless. That was me. That was Rose.

----------------------------------------

You could say I had two parts of me. The first was the lovely, kind, polite Rose that never caused any trouble. The Rose that loved life, happiness, and laughter. The fake Rose, the shell of Rose.

The second part of me was totally different.

The second Rose hated people, hated happiness of others, hated the world, hated the people who caused her life to be miserable, hated life itself. She was the real Rose, the one they would never know, Even to Greed, who now was expecting her to do the impossible.

She was good at the impossible.

I sat up and quietly snuck to the wall, it being nine o-clock at night. I don't really remember how I managed to pass the time, but I don't remember it being much but sitting and thinking. After all that time thinking, I finally came up with a plan to sneak out.

I quickly moved the chair underneath the door handle, angling it upwards so it would be impossible to open the door from the outside. That way, somebody who could even unlock the door couldn't get it open.

Then, I slowly crept over to the desk again and spotted the vent that I had stared at aimlessly while thinking. I crawled up onto the desk and moved the vent upwards to open up the metal passageway.

Lifting myself up, the smell of cigarette smoke met my nostrils. I began crawling through the tunnels, my knees and hands scuttling on the cold metal. As I moved closer to the room of my mysterious next door neighbor, the smoke smell was stronger and stronger. I reached the vent and peered down to see his room:

Same as my room with a few clothes strewn here and there, sheets of the bed messed up, and a gun lying next to the bedpost. The desk was extremely messy, with piles of papers of god knows what. A pretty generic bedroom, except for the ash tray with a recently put out cigarette lying on the small lamp stand.

And a pink note lying on a pile of papers with a name written in feminine script.

I wasn't sure if Greed was looking for information on the military's personal relationships, but this was for my interest only, for some reason unknown to me. The good Rose was saying to go back, leave it alone, and try going through the metal tunnels another day when there wasn't a love note on his desk.

Bad Rose was telling me to read it.

I, not sensing life in the room, slid away to open up the vent and stick my head in. Reaching down my hand, I grasped the letter and pulled it up. The name was unreadable, but I saw a "K" in the first name. Suspicious.

Quickly, without thinking of how much I was invading his personal privacy, I unwrapped the slip of paper like a fat boy would to a chocolate bar. The letters were hard to read, but definitely legible.

_Meet in supply room_

_Talk about the date_

**Supply room. Date. _Date._**

He had a date?

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Dun dun duuuuuun! Tune in next time to see who the mystery date is! Mahahahaa! I know! But you don't! ahahaha!(please review:( )**


	6. Chapter 6: mystery date

**Alrighty, here is the next chapter. Oh, in response to one of my reviews about Rose's name, I named her before learning there was already a person in FMA named Rose...lol… yeah Rose is my OC and has nothing to do with he one in FMA. So, that's to clear any confusion with her name and the real one in FMA. Here is the chapter!**

Chapter 6

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The note fluttered to the floor as it slipped out of my lifeless hand. He had a date. He HAD a DATE! I would have never thought… I mean… he was good looking, I have to say… and I suppose sweet, in that mysterious way… and his eyes were-… well I won't get into that… but … I guess I never saw it before. Who could it be, how could I not have expected it, and what did the time say on the letter in which they were supposed to meet?

I quickly swung down into his room, my heart beating furiously. I was trespassing. He could walk into this room any minute now.

But he didn't.

I picked up the letter of the floor and looked it over again to see if I read correctly.

_Meet in supply room_

_Talk about the date_

_9:10_

I checked the clock. 9:11. he just left. That would explain the fresh smell of smoke in his room. I quickly got onto the desk, placing the letter back on the stack of papers, and hoisted myself into the vent.

I was on my way to the supply room.

-----------------------

Where WAS the supply room?

I checked around for a good five minutes, going through the tunnels aimlessly, until I remembered seeing the sign for it near the stair case. I quickly closed my eyes and listened through the wide, expansive passageways to track any sound waves of steps.

I heard them.

I quickly shot off down the right, the footsteps of a few soldiers chatting and walking down stairs, their boots clunking down the steps. Soon, I was at the staircase, and the smell of smoke had diminished down until it was untraceable. The footsteps moved down the hallway beneath me, and disappeared.

Then I heard his low voice down a corner.

Quietly, I let my ears trace the sounds of his voice, speaking to who could only be the mystery date.

I saw light shining through an opening a few feet away.

More silent than a mouse, I inched slowly towards the vent until I could hear the conversation going on in the room below.

"So… at 7:30, right? Pick you up at your room, I mean?" his voice sounded deep and comforting to my ears, until I remembered it wasn't me he was speaking so calmly to.

"Yeah… that should be great!" The girl said. His date. I instantly recognized the voice, and my jaw practically hit the metal beneath me. He was talking to Kyara.

"Good." He said, and for some reason, my heart felt like it had sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. He was going with Kyara. He was going on a date with KYARA of all people! How come I never saw the hints, then? How come I thought Kyara and Ed liked each other? How could it NOT have been obvious to me that THEY liked each other? I never saw signs, hints, glances, giggles, ANYTHING happening between them... I mean, maybe they were just good at keeping secrets. Maybe I was just too focused on Havoc being free that I didn't see him as taken. I couldn't help but mutter something to myself, accidentally out loud.

"Oh my gosh…"

"SHHH…" somebody down there whispered. They had heard me.

"What is it?" Kyara asked, confusion reflecting in the pitch of her voice.

"… Nothing. I need to get back to my room. Check on… something. I need to make sure something is still there." he said, and I felt myself getting hot with worry. He was going to check on me, and I was supposed to be in my room.

"Um… alright, then… then I guess…" Kyara's voice traveled off as I was already inching a little faster away from the vent, sniffing for the smell of smoke. Backtracking my way, I could smell the cigarettes.

I didn't know it was humanly possible to move 5 miles per hour, cramped in a dusty air vent, but for Rose, anything was possible. I flew through the tunnels as if I was the Subway in New York, not caring how much noise I was making above the heads of curious military men.

The smoke rose and I could hear his footsteps below me. a knock echoed through the halls, just a few feet in front of me, where my room was.

Once I made it above, he was banging on the door loudly, calling my name.

"Rose! Open up! Open this door immediately!"

Swinging down from the vent, I flopped onto the floor, letting out a little yelp.

"Rose! OPEN UP!" he yelled through the door. I limped to the door, took out the chair, undid the lock, and opened the door, a confused look upon my face.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Oop! Yup! Here was the chapter… did I surprise ya? Ahahaha… well, please review. And don't worry, everything will make sense. Do NOT worry. Review pleeeeease:D**


	7. Chapter 7: the REAL date

**here's the next chapter for yall. it will explain wut was goin on with kyara and havoc. hehe. enjoy and pleeeease REVIEW!**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter 7

"What IS it?" I said, acting as if I just woke up from a slumber. Even though my lights were still on. And I had regular clothes on. And I was probably covered head to toe in dust and dead spiders. I glanced up at him, eyes meeting just once, until I had to pull my gaze to the side so I was peering down the empty hall.

"Oh… ok. Um… just wondering if you were… ok…" he said strangely.

"I'm fine… what made you think I was in trouble?"

"I thought I heard you scream or yell or something… or… maybe it was just MY dream …" I could see him blush, even though it was all a lie that he had had a dream about me. I myself could feel the redness swell into my face, making the blood in my head pound.

"I MEAN… I didn't mean it that way, you know… just… like…" he stuttered, trying to correct himself. He rubbed the back of his head, looking down the hall opposite to my gaze. "I'll just go back to bed now." He said and left the doorway, going into his own room. I stood still, staring into the hallway as if all that didn't happen. As if I seeing Kyara and Havoc in the supply room talking about their date didn't happen.

-----------------------

I woke up in the morning, after getting no sleep, to a soft knock on my door. If it was Havoc, I swear I was going to scream.

But it was worse than Havoc.

"G'mornin, Rose!" Kyara piped up as my door slowly creaked open to reveal her happy face. I could only imagine why she was so giddy, as she wouldn't want to miss tonight.

"Um… do you know how EARLY it is?" I asked, unaware of the time myself. Bad Rose was hinted in my crankiness.

"It's like 11… have you been sleeping all this time?" she asked, noting my messy hair and pjs.

"Yeah…" I said, blinking to get accustomed to the bright sun beams shining through the windows. Kari came bouncing down the corner out of nowhere as well.

"Rose! Hi there!" she exclaimed, loud enough to burst my eardrums. I smiled back, trying not to cringe at her happiness.

"We were just going to breakfast. Would you like to join us?" Kyara asked, beaming up at me. As I looked at her, I kept thinking about last night… about her talking with havoc… about them planning on a date tonight. As she stood in front of me, I couldn't help but have this weird feeling at the bottom of my stomach, as if some sort of beast was lurching around down there. Maybe, for some reason, it was the green eyed monster. But, instead of rudely telling her "no way!" or shutting the door on her face, I did what good Rose would do.

"Sure! I'm starved!" I said, putting on my ever-so-convincing smile. Kyara and Kari looked at each other excitedly.

"We'll be right here! Come out when you're ready!"

And with that statement from Kari, I shut the door and began getting dressed.

---------------

"And here we are at the cafeteria!" Kari said, opening some double doors into a crowded multi, swimming with blue-suited military men, all engrossed in their lumpy oatmeal and burnt toast.

"As you can see…" Kyara said, noting to a military men inspecting his mound of cold lumpy oats "… the cafeteria lacks some suitable recepies…"

"Just don't choose the oatmeal, whatever you do… it's always cold when I get mine. I'm surprised the cook is still cooking breakfast… I mean, it's almost lunch…"

"Actually, its brunch they're serving…" Kyara corrected her. I was looking over at a short blond making his way over.

"Kyara!" Ed said, joining us in the conversation. He was blushing slightly and grinning big. Oh no… he must not have known of Kyara and Havoc… if he did, he wouldn't be making casual conversation.

"Ed… hello…" Kyara said, blushing deeply. I was expecting her to maybe go to the bathroom and avoid him for the rest of the day, or maybe pull him aside and tell him the truth. But instead, Ed said something that made my head spin with confusion.

"So… did Havoc tell you the news? Of tonight?"

"Yeah! It'll be such fun!" she said, perking up a bit. I couldn't help but stare at them. So he knew… and he was OK with it! What was going ON! I thought for sure he would be sad… I thought for sure he would be jealous… but instead, he was totally fine about it. As they continued to talk, I could only get more and more confused.

"So… see you tonight then?" Ed said, smirking.

"Of course!" she said. He nodded and walked off. I must not have been hearing right… for I could swear he just said HE was going to see HER tonight. Kyara looked at me funny.

"Rose… is your jaw like unhitched or something?" she said, and I quickly closed my mouth.

"What was THAT all about?" Kari said, looking a little less confused as me.

"Oh… I forgot to tell you…" Kyara said, smiling slyly. I was all ears. "I'm going on a date with Ed tonight!" She said, and she and Kari squealed. My eyes were as big as golf balls.

"E-ED!" I said, not being able to help the projection of my voice. I was definitely not expecting this.

"Yes, Ed! He was a little too shy to ask me himself, so he had Havoc do it…" and the rest of what she said was tuned out as I fit together the pieces. So… it wasn't her and Havoc… it was her and ED… and now that I come to think of it, he never said **I** will pick you up at eight, or WE will have so much fun tonight, or OUR date will be so much fun! It was all for Ed and Kyara…

"… but poor Havoc… you know, he is such a good match maker, but he can never seem to get any girls of his own…" Kyara continued. I couldn't help but blush at how silly I was, thinking that they were going on a date. A wave of relief spread over me, and the reset of breakfast went by like a blurry memory.

------------------

I was waked up from my mid-afternoon nap from a nock on the door. Quietly, I rose up from my bed, whipping sleep from my eyes. I was expecting it to be Havoc, for some odd reason, but when I opened the door, Roy was in the doorway, a clip board in his hands.

"Hello Rose. Have a good nap?" he said, grinning. Why was Roy at my door, again?

"I guess… what's wrong? Am I in trouble?" I said, putting on the innocent-act. What if somebody caught me sneaking up in the vents? What if Havoc KNEW I was spying on him!

"No no… but yesterday, I did not get to finish my questioning with you. If you would please follow me to my office, I would like to continue there." He said, and looked at backed away from the door, a hand leading the way out into the hall.

"Alright…" I said, my heart beating out of nervousness, and followed him to his office.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**well, hope it all made sense. paleeeeeeeeeease review review review! im begging you! gaaah:(**


	8. Chapter 8: murder victim announced

Chapter 8

"Alright Rose… let us begin." Roy said, straitening a few papers on his desk and lifting up his clipboard, pen in hand. "Who are your parents?"

He just HAD to start with that question…

"I never knew my parents. For my whole life, I lived in an orphanage in Resembool, except for recently this year, when I was released because of my age." Lie number one. Well, I suppose part of it was true. Just not the orphanage part.

"How old are you exactly and where did you go after you left the orphanage?"

"I am 15 years old and after that I began traveling."

"Where did you travel?" he asked as hescribbled down some notes.I gulped.

"I just… started walking on the main road out there… where I met up with Kyara and Ed." I said, trying not to let him see my shaking hands.

"And where do you expect your parents to be right now? What was their last name?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously. I bit my lip and looked at my hands.

"They died in a car crash… right after I was born…" I said, and pretended to sniffle. That was a big lie, as I didn't even know if they WERE dead.

"There there…" Roy said, as if he was expecting it. For a split second, I could feel something coming from his penetrating stare hooked on my bent head. As if he knew it was a lie. As if he had wanted me to say that. "You said you lived in Resembool. That is quite a small town. In fact, that is where Edward grew up. Everybody in that town knows each other. Now tell me… did you ever know Edward before?" he was testing me. He was waiting for me to stumble, mess up, prove to him that I was telling a lie. He had me here for more than just questioning. He was working on proving me guilty of being an assassin. How he knew was unknown to me.

But I couldn't let him do that. I wouldn't let him do that.

"As I said… I lived in an orphanage. They were quite strict and didn't let us out of the building… there was no way in which I could meet anybody from the town…" I said, and raised my head to see if he had bought my story. He just looked at me for a few seconds with a blank expression, his eyes narrowed the tiniest bit. Then, with the sides of his mouth just slightly curled up into a smile, he put down the clipboard and picked up a piece of paper off the stack, wheeling around so he wouldn't have to face me.

"If that is so, Rose… then why is there no official record of there EVER-" he wheeled around and slammed the paper in front of me, making me flinch "- being an orphanage in the town of Resembool?" he said, the smile now distinct and sly. I hoped he couldn't tell by my face how nervous I was.

He had caught me lying.

Red handed.

I was in trouble.

I never thought of that… but now that I think of it, I never thought it was so hard to lie… I mean, I had done it plenty times before. I guess it's just hard to stump a colonel. I had to think quickly, or else my true identity would be revealed.

But before I could talk, the phone rang through the room.

Roy let it ring a few times, letting me sink into the guilt and worry I had only brought upon myself. He picked up the phone and answered it.

"Colonel Mustang… yes… I see… I'll take care of it…" he spoke to the other end and slammed down the receiver. He shot me a glare and stood up.

"It seems I'm needed for… CONFIDENTIAL reasons…" he said, emphasizing the word "confidential". "I must take my leave… we are not through Rose. The questioning will continue once I get back." He said, and strode to the door. Once he left, I quickly stood over and raced to his desk.

The papers were neatly stacked, and it would take forever to read. I began flipping through a small stack, hoping to find something interesting and confidential. But I saw nothing.

Except for a map of the air vents.

At first, I was curious to know why he had a map of the air vents. Even more curious was the circled spot right above a room labeled "Supply Room".

Though it seemed obvious that Havoc had told Roy about hearing somebody (namely me) in the air vent, he didn't know for sure it was me. And that is why he was questioning me.

He wanted to know if I was a spy.

Well, I was. But I was also an assassin.

He didn't know that part yet.

I snatched up the valuable paper and folded it, sticking it into the small pocket hitched to my belt. Now that I knew where I was going while up in the air vents, Havoc's cigarette smell would no longer be needed.

Then, I snuck out of the office to my own room.

------------------------

The night air felt good upon my arms and legs, as they had not been exposed to fresh air in a good day or two. Stars sprinkled the sky and the moon was used in contrast with the lamps as my light to the dark alley.

Ed and Kyara were on a date, Havoc Roy and Kari were sound asleep(or so i could only predict), and most of the military was out on a mission. I think I heard from a few chatting soldiers it was over in Lior.

When I arrived around the corner, Greed was there, pacing back and fourth.

He only paced when he was mad.

He spotted me and rushed over to me. I was about to turn and run, but thought better of it. Where else would I go, any how?

"Rose… WHO DID YOU TELL? WHAT DID YOU DO!" he began yelling at me, grabbing my shoulders and thrusting against the damp concrete wall. My head banged against the hard surface, and I became light headed.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT COULD POSSIBLY LEAD COLONEL MUSTANG TO SUSPECT YOU AS A THREAT!" he said, shaking me up against the wall. I closed my eyes, not able to look at his fuming face. He was breathing heavily, and once I didn't answer, his hand came across my face hard enough to send me recoiling up against the wall as far as possible. Stinging pain raised the blood in my cheek, and he turned my head towards him again with a dirty hand to my chin.

"Tell me Rose… what did you do…"

"I thought I was here for you to tell me who to kill, remember?" I said firmly with my teeth clenched. I couldn't show him fear. I looked at him, the reflection of the moon and my face on his small sunglasses. The reason he wore sunglasses in the dead of night was unknown to me.

With one more shove of me to the wall, he backed away.

"Fine then… I'll tell you who…" he said, glancing at the moon, then back at me with the most devious little smile. I gulped shakily.

"Roy Mustang has suspected far too much… and must be eliminated…

"Tonight."


	9. Chapter 9: the mutation

**Chapter nine! Hope ya like! **

Chapter 9

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tonight".

It was already enough that he was going to make me kill off Roy… but tonight was just much too overwhelming. I couldn't do it tonight. I knew I would be suspected.

"T-tonight?... are you s-sure?... shouldn't we wait for, you know, maybe if"-

"Rose, are you questioning my decision?" He asked, his smile fading into a look of stone and strength. I breathed in and out very slowly. I couldn't do that to Kari. I couldn't. It wasn't right.

"I just… can't…" I had said the wrong thing. He grasped my shirt, pulling me close to his face. So close I could feel the stench of his warm breath upon my trembling lips.

"You CAN… and you definitely will…" and then, he did something he never did before. He slowly slid a glinting object from his belt and held it up to the back of my head. In the corner of my eye… I noticed it to be a small dagger, barely touching the skin of my neck… threatening me with the sharpness of its edge.

The fear in my eyes gave way to my mind as I nervously swallowed.

"He will be eliminated by 2:00 A.M." I said so softly I could barely hear it. The grin returned to his face as he slowly took away from the dagger and released my wrinkled shirt.

"That's right…"

------------------

My room was completely silent. The clock read 12:00. I stared at the vent above me through the darkness of my room, the crescent in the sky providing the only light. Two feathery lumps were placed beneath the bread spread, providing the look of a humanly figure. It took a few minutes of breathing before I walked over to the desk and pulled out the chair.

Once the chair was snug underneath the handle, I looked at myself once more in the mirror. A black figure in a tight dark tank top just above the bellybutton, black spandex down to the ankle for easy movement and flexibility, hair tied back high up on the top of the head, and bare feet. An arm brace was added for effect, along with the pair of new gloves on my hands, my new weapons. I could feel the metal claws contracted into the leather of the palm, waiting to outstretch and silently drag across the neck of the sleeping colonel.

I shuddered-not out of low temperature- and moved towards the desk. The platform to distrust.

The vent came up easier this time, and the paper came out of my belt at last. A small lighter illuminated the small space I slunk into, providing light for me to read the many lines and boxes on the map.

I spotted the box he would be in. It was down the right, then another right, left, right right left.

I noticed I had to go across the room right next door.

This would create a problem.

Ever so slowly, I began sliding my way through the tunnel until I was right above his room. Holding my breath, I slid across the vent leading inside his littered home.

I didn't hear him make any move to indicate he was watching.

Good.

Or not good.

I wished he would be watching… I wish he could stop me… I wish he could save me from this torture I was being put through… every night… at nine o clock. I wished he would catch me, and lead me down, asking what I was doing. I would tell him my curiosity got a hold of me, and he would believe me, and then the guilt would spread over me and I would be forced to tell him everything. I wished I could tell him… I wished I could tell him everything…

Because, for some odd reason, I thought he would understand.

But he didn't catch me, and I continued to make my way down right, left, right right left.

Until I was above Roy Mustangs room.

The bullet was shot, and my heart was off, racing against my fear. It sped down the tracks, gaining speed.

The vent opened, and I snuck in silently.

The figure was still in the bed, chest slowly moving up and down with life.

That life would soon be ended.

All because of me…

Me and my lies… me and my fear… because I was such a coward… a coward to stand up to him…. stand up to those glasses and tall muscled figure…

And then suddenly, the gloves slipped off. And I stared at my hands unbelievably… as my fingers began stretching… and stretching… and the my fingers became sharper… and sharper… and inhumanly…

Until they looked like daggers.

I began to panic. The gasp did not reach his ears, and I was left to stand there with no idea what was happening. My hands were mutating into sharp weapons… and then my feet began walking forward to his bead.

But it wasn't me who was doing it. It was just my legs… moving… as if they had a mind of their own. I tried to make them stop… I tried to stop my muscles from moving towards the sleeping body.

And suddenly I realized… I did not want to kill him.

I began getting frustrated, my torso and arms thrashing about, until my arms began outstretching. I couldn't stop my arms either. And then, my whole body was moving on its own, and I couldn't open my mouth to scream.

I began to cry.

My heart beat faster and faster as I slowly came to a stop above the peaceful man in the bed. My arms were raised above his neck. My body began to tremble.

No… no… I didn't want this… I didn't want this to happen… I didn't want to kill him… I didn't want to kill anybody… anymore…

But I didn't have to, because suddenly my eyes became very blurry all the sudden, and my eyelids fluttered closed. I was shrouded in darkness.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Hehe… cliffhanger… I love those things… :angry mob appears: oh no…… HEEEEEEEELLP:runs away from angry fans with pitchforks:… even though I do not have many fans…:tear:… oh well… please review**


	10. Chapter 10: visitor

**Here is the next chapter! Pleeeeease review at the end… please please please… I have like 3 reviewersXD… yeah…. Thank you**

Chapter 10

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was cold when I woke up. I had had a dream… filled of hands with daggers for fingers… and cigarettes loosely hung between them… swirling around a pool of darkness…

The bed springs dug uncomfortably into my aching back, and I felt as if somebody was screwing bolts into my head. The pounding in my head wouldn't stop.

My eyes opened to show I was back in my room. I tilted my head to check the clock, which read 4:00 A.M. I tried to remember what had happened before I was here, but everything was a blur.

Until I spotted a pair of torn gloves on the desk.

I remember… I was just about to kill off the colonel… when something… or somebody… hit me in the back of the head hard enough to knock me out. They must have seen me… somehow…

And suddenly I got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach… and the smoke smell lingering in the air of my room wasn't helping me calm down my mind.

---------------

"IT WAS OMIGOSH GREAT!" Kyara screeched in the colonel's room later that day. Roy was at the desk smirking, knowing nothing of last night's drama while he lay asleep, and Kari was hanging off every word that came out of Kyara's mouth.

"What did you do?" she asked, eyes as wide as golf balls.

"Well, first we went out to eat at this very nice and very expensive seafood restaurant and he PAID! It was like 60 dollars! And you know that boy is almost broke…"

"Yes yes…now go on!" Kari said, sort of bouncing in her chair. I sat opposite to both of them, inspecting my hands intently, and thinking about what the hell happened last night.

"Alright then we left and he put his jacket around me because I was cold and then.-"

"HOW SWEET!"

"Yes yes I know… and then we went to the movies and saw this funny flick… I forget the name… and when he walked me back to my room…" she trailed off.

"WHAT!" Kari asked impatiently.

"HE KISSED ME!" and then the room erupted in squeals. I instinctively covered my ears and looked over to see Roy's reaction. He simply looked at his papers and shook his head with a smile. I could have sworn I saw the slightest tint of pink as he glanced at Kari.

"That is sooo romantic…" Kari said. "If only that could happen to me…" she sighed and Roy's cheeks turned a darker color of red. "Tell me… what was the kiss like?"

"Well…. It was great, of course… his lips touching mine… and the whole world was in slow motion…. And it was if I was looking deep inside him… finally learning all there was to know about him… it was just so magical… I wish it had never ended." She said, and the room was silent. Until I spoke up.

"How do you know you love Ed?" I asked, and she looked up at me with a puzzled expression. Then it softened into a smile as she looked towards the sun shining through the window.

"It's a feeling… like every time I see him, my stomach lurches-in a good way of course- and… whenever we look into each others eyes it's as if he's looking into my soul… and whenever he touches me I get this tingling feeling, or shivers up and down my spine…" she said, and I couldn't help but look at the ground. This was garbage. Total garbage. It couldn't be true… it just couldn't…

"Rose, Kyara, we should go outside and have some girl talk! Then you can tell me who you like without Roy sitting here…" she said and I jumped up.

"Um… no thanks… I uh… have some business…"

"What business?" Kyara asked as they both stood up.

"I just…. I need to go…. Sorry…" I said, and sped out of the room and towards the door to outside. I needed fresh air.

----------

Around the corner was Havoc, lazily smoking a cigarette and peering out at the dismal street. What perfect timing, Rose. I was going to turn around and walk back inside, but something made me walk over and lean upon the wall next to him. He looked over at me surprised.

"What…. What are you"-

"Why do you smoke?" I popped the question, as I coughed at the horrible smell floating from his mouth. The blood-pumping organ in my chest couldn't have gone any faster. He looked back out to the street and blew out a puff of white death.

"It's the only thing I can count on for comfort… it makes me feel good…" he said, and I did something I didn't know I could do. I turned towards him and yanked the cigarette out of his mouth, threw it on the ground, and smothered it with my boot. He looked at me, startled.

"What are you… doing?..."

"It's not good for your health, you know… you could get cancer or something…" and I turned to leave. He grabbed my arm and whipped me around, a look reflecting madness hinted in the darker blue of his eyes. And then there was tingling where he was touching me… and shivers up and down my spine… and I wanted to slap Kyara.

"Why do you care?" he asked very lightly. I found myself blushing as I tore away from him, and I rushed up the stairs to go back inside. In my head, I was thinking _because you, unlike anybody else, cared about me last night_…

----------

I came to the alley way expecting to be yelled at harshly. But when I turned the corner, he wasn't there.

I must have waited at least ten minutes before I decided to go back.

It was an easy climb to my window, as like every night about this time. The cold stones felt good upon my fingers and heated body. And as I climbed into my window, I had a feeling… like I wasn't alone…

I stepped inside, and a voice from a figure sitting on my bed came out, almost making me stumble out of the window with surprise.

"Where have you been?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Oop! Tune in next chapter to see who it is! Ahahahaahahahaaa cliffie! **


	11. Chapter 11: Lior

**Here's chappie 11. hope ya like it. and please if you read this and you have been reading my story PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU HAVENT REVIEWED! Cus I got like … 4 reviewers or so… but thank you for the ones who have been reviewing! you guys rock!**

Chapter 11

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My back touched the wall near the window. The voice was recognizable, of course. Who else would be in my room other than the boy who only told me many times to stay put in my room?

"H-how did you get in my room!" I said loudly. How DID he?

"None of your business." He said, and stood up. I couldn't see his face, but his voice was just enough to tell me how mad he was. He took a step towards me. "Let me ask you again... WHERE have you BEEN!"

The space between us was quickly none as he grabbed my wrists tightly. Then I had that feeling again, pulsating from my wrists where he grasped. I wondered if he felt the same thing, and mentally slapped myself. I found myself flinching, as I had no idea he was so strong…

"I was out for a walk." Was my stupid excuse.

"At nine o clock? Through the window?" he asked, suspiciously. I could feel my knees start to buckle as he pinned me against the wall. This would be a perfect time to tell him…tell him everything… tell him why I've been disappearing every night at this time…

"The stairs were dark, and so I couldn't see up them..." I lied

"And so are the streets." He said, the grip tightening, his nose only a few inches away from touching mine. I gulped and continued to look at the vent up above. He shook me. "You weren't taking a walk… and I know it…"

"What do you WANT from me!" I yelled. He was silent for a moment.

"I want the truth." He finally said, his voice low and just barely shaky. He stood there for a moment, staring at me, though I refused to take a glance at him, knowing that if I did, I would be sucked into the depths of his eyes once more and feel the guilt. And then, he just let go of my wrists and left the room with no word whatsoever. My knees still felt weak as I heard the door slam through the empty room and his footsteps to his own living quarters. I didn't know how I would react tomorrow. I didn't even know if my heart would beat normally tomorrow, as I could have scared it for life from tonight.

I slowly climbed into bed, my hands shaking. If Greed knew… if he knew Havoc was doing this… he would make me kill him… for sure…

And… for some reason… I could feel a small tear traveled down my cheek at this thought… and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand, surprised with myself. I didn't know what was going on between me and Havoc… it's as if I was starting to…

And then I finally noticed the vent open, and I thought somebody was watching me. I quickly held my breath and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. When I opened them again, they were accustomed do the dark and I was able see there was nobody up in the vent.

Which could only mean somebody had gotten into my room through the vent earlier and accidentally left it open.

Of course it was obvious who it was.

----------

A loud bell rang through the Head Quarters, waking me rudely from my sleep. It was about 7:00 in the morning.

"ALL OF THE MILITARY REPORT AT THE MAIN HALL IMMEDIATELY! I REPEAT, ALL OF THE MILITARY REPORT AT THE MAIN HALL IMEDIATELY!"

I wasn't part of the military, so what was I supposed to do? The bell continued to ring and the man on the loudspeaker kept on repeating the same message. I sat up in bed and walked to the door, hearing footsteps race down the halls.

I stayed in my room until I heard all the footsteps stop and the bell fading away. It was then that I opened the door and crept down the hall. This would be a perfect opportunity to look around.

Suddenly, footsteps came from just around the corner. Without thinking, I opened the door closest to me and hurried inside, closing the door softly. I stood with my ear to the door until the man was gone, and took a deep breath.

It was then that I noticed the room I was in.

I panicked, but I didn't see him. The pink note was stuffed in the garbage can next to his messy desk. Everything was exactly the same.

Except for the fact that when I breathed in, the usual smell of cigarette smoke didn't burn my lungs, and the ash tray that used to be on his bedside wasn't there anymore.

Had he stopped smoking?

It wasn't till I was in my own room that I began to think… maybe yesterday when I talked to him…

I didn't feel like exploring. I just felt like lying around and staring at the ceiling. Footsteps came from the entrance of the building and I could hear many cars start. I wondered what was going on, so I looked outside. A blue wave of men was streaming from the HQ and into their cars, guns and weapons ready. They must have been on some sort of mission.

_hm… this could be good to investigate for greed…_I thought. I dressed in about a minute and hurried across the hall and flew down the stairs to the main hall.

It was chaos.

People yelled to each other, passing guns and bullets around, and once ready, racing out the door to join the other recruits. I looked around, but saw nobody I knew.

I walked up to somebody who didn't look too chaotic.

"What's going on here?" I asked and he looked up.

"We're leading an attack on Lior. It's hell down there!" he said, and popped his bullets in place. He was gone in an instant before I could ask anything more.

I needed to see it.

I snuck into a crowd of yelling men and hopped on a truck. As soon as we began to drive away, the people began casting me weird glances. I wasn't wearing a military suit.

"Excuse me ma'am, what do you think you are-"

"I was summoned by King Bradley to join you on this mission. I'm a… um… alchemist!" I said, interrupting the man. I didn't know squat about alchemy.

"I see..." he said loudly over the engine. "What is your source of power?" he asked, and I looked around. I wasn't expecting that question to pop up. Then, without thinking, I put a sly smile on my face.

"You don't want to know that." I said, and winked. His eyes popped out from their sockets and he turned away, disgusted. The outside of me chuckled softly. The inside finally began to calm down.

---------

It was a while, but I finally saw the city. I couldn't help but gasp.

A red glow was coming from the city, and I could see the flames and explosions from behind tall buildings. We came closer and I could feel the rumble of bombs and gunshots being showered upon the citizens of Lior. It was a few more minute before we joined the other military men stationed just outside the boundary.

We all got out of the car and they raced to join the long line of military men. I spotted Ed, Kyara, Kari, and Roy.

And Havoc.

I quickly ducked behind a car, hoping he wouldn't see me. What was I THINKING coming here! I would get caught for sure… sooner or later…

"HEY YOU!" a man said, and I recognized him as the man from the car. He grabbed my shoulder as I stood like a deer in the headlights. He began dragging me over towards them.

I had been caught. ALREADY.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Alrighty… please review. The next chapter should be up shortly, since it's the weekend and I have many ideas in my head for the next chapter. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12: what is kindness?

**well, here's chapter 12!... :sniff:... barely any reviews last time... oh well.. i suppose i will survive... review if you wanna...**

Chapter 12

I wanted to get out of his grasp, but that would just make me seem suspicious. I walked hesitantly behind him and he stationed me two people away from the 5. I gulped and looked around.

"Alchemists. Step forward!" Roy gave the order, stepping forward himself. Kyara, Ed, and Kari stepped forward, as well as some other officers. The soldier who placed me there looked expectantly when I didn't budge.

"What's the matter? You said you were an alchemist…" he commented.

"I am!..." I said quite shakily and stepped forward as well. Thankfully, the four alchemists didn't notice, as they kept their eyes forward at Lior.

As for the pair of blue orbits behind me, they were glued strong to my back, burning a hole through my head.

"All alchemists, prepare to enter!" he said, and raised a hand. They all got braced themselves, ready to run inside. But when I looked over, Kyara Ed and Kari stood up strait. Ed and Kyara looked at each other worriedly. I could faintly here the boy talking to the shorter blonde.

"Just go back in the car, I'll talk to him." he said, and Kyara nodded before walking away. I followed her with my eyes, and she walked right across the boy who had been watching me. My eyes stopped there, and he stared at me in disbelief. I quickly turned to face the city again.

"Roy, I'm a healing alchemist…" Kari said firmly. "I never use my powers for harm…" Roy sighed and excused her from joining them. Ed as well stood back with her, and Roy looked at him questioningly.

"What do you think you're doing, fullmetal?" he asked.

"I refuse to hurt those innocent people." He said, and Roy's shocked look turned into anger.

"It's not our choice, Edward… it's the kings…"

"I won't do it." he said firmly, and walked away. Kari stood beside Roy, innocently looking around. Roy sighed and raised his hand back up.

"ALCHEMISTS! ENTER!" his booming voice was heard, and they all ran towards the burning city. I stood behind a moment, but then noticed some suspicious glances in my direction and followed them into the city, not knowing what the hell I was doing.

----------

Everything was a mess. Burning buildings crumbled underneath the blanket of flames that rotted its wood and melted the clay bricks. Broken beams that held up alters crumbled down as I dodged them stealthily. Running, petrified children held close to their mothers and they screamed their way out of their deadly homes.

I watched as they ran past me and around the corner, until a crashing sound was heard and the screaming stopped. I could just feel their lives taken from their bodies…

Running deeper into the city, I checked around. A few military men ran past, chasing an old man who hobbled away, until shot to his death. I finally noticed how cruel the military was…

I could hear a baby screaming inside of a building just freshly caught in a fire where I stopped to catch my breath. I still didn't know what I was doing here… or why I was in here… or why I decided to follow the military to Lior…

The screaming kept on blaring. A woman in a grey dress, stained from the smoke and ashes, ran from around the corner and stared at the screaming house.

"NO! MY BABY!" She wailed and outstretched her hands to the flaming structure. The screaming continued, accompanied by the wailing of it's mother. I covered my ears and began to walk away. The screaming rang on… breaking through my hands and running through my mind… making me slow my step… making me turn around and rush inside the burning house.

I squinted through the heat and coughed out smoke and ashes that was lifted in the air. Walls crumbled up ahead of me, and the screaming came closer. Everything was so hot… I felt as if I was melting away inside the deadly ember glow…

And through the smoke I finally spotted the baby though a small crevice in a broken wall. I looked around for something to break through the wall, but found nothing. I would have to do it with my own body strength.

I thrust my body against the warm clay wall, pushing hard. Surprisingly, it budged slightly. I kept going, feeling my body caving into the melting muck. The wall melted onto my arm, a sticky goo that caked my aching muscles. And then, finally, I had pushed inside the room.

Picking up the baby, it stopped crying and whimpered softly. I quickly climbed out of the room and through the house, holding the clumped, dirty cloth and innocent child in my arms.

The instant I left the house, I was greeted by the cool air on my skin and the precious item released from my arms. The mother looked at her child and tears flooded joyfully into her eyes, holding it close. I let the less-smoky air outside travel into my lungs and clear out most of the smoke I had inhaled.

As I looked up, the woman stared at me with the deepest look of gratitude, and I felt some weird warmth inside my chest. What was this feeling?...

"You saved my only child… thank you… so much…" she said, and held a trembling hand to touch my face and kiss me on the forehead. The warmth spread through my body and I touched a dirty finger to the equally filthy, but beautiful baby. I noticed the blue of its eyes penetrating into mine, reminding me of somebody, and the warmth I had felt grew cold. The woman stood back, and with another grateful smile, rushed out onto the streets.

As she came out of the alley, though, men in blue coats ceased her by the arms at once.

She struggled and forced away vigorously at the dangerous hands of the men, screaming once they ripped the baby from her arms.

"NO! PLEASE! GIVE ME MY BABY! I BEG OF YOU!" she frantically called to the men carrying the crying baby away. She screamed… and shrieked… and cried…

The men forcefully separated the mother and child.I felt like I had to do something, but I had already done as much as I could.

At least, that's what my mind was trying to convince me of right before I ran towards the scene.

"STOP IT!" I said, rushing over to the men with the baby. They looked at me, bewildered at a commoners actions. "leave her! and her baby! They did NOTHING to you!"

"We have orders, ma'am, to capture any survivors!" one of them said, keeping a tight hold on the woman, who was staring at me with an equally surprised expression.

"Well do not follow them! This innocent woman almost lost her child in a fire, and now, you takeit away again! You cannot be ANY more heartless!" I yelled into his face. His eyes looked slightly fearful for one moment, but soon after narrowed as he inspected my face.

"Wait a second… I've seen you before… you're that kid who's been wandering around the HQ building!" he said, and the others turned to each other and nodded. My heart stopped as I looked to the woman and her baby, who were still frightful. I was in big trouble.

"FORGET THE WOMAN! CEISE HER!" the man bellowed, and the men released the woman to grab her baby, going after their new target. I saw the womangrab hold of herchild happily just before I sprinted off.

What HAD gotten me into this? Why was I helping this complete stranger without a reason? Why was I suddenly acting so… kind?

Kind definitely wasn't my nature...

...Then why was I doing it?

I had turned down a few alleyways, and I could still hear footsteps. Coming to an end of one, a few men popped out unexpectedly where I was heading. I quickly slid to a stop and turned around, only to find more military men coming from that end. I was trapped.

"If you cooperate, we will not shoot!" one of them called from behind me.

I looked around frantically for a escape from the alleyway, and found a few crates stacked up on each other next to a window sill. As the men gained speed, I had climbed on top of the crates and onto the window sill. The men pointed their guns and shouted at me. I looked up to the ledge, but it was too high.

A shower of bullets pelted just near enough to my body that I jumped up high in fright. The roof edge came easily and I swung myself up unharmed. The shouts and yells disappeared into the sound of roaring flames.

The roof wasflaming. Luckily I was in a spot the fire hadn't reached yet, and I ran across an open path. It was extremely hot, none the less, being surrounded by a wall of heat.

I was almost to the edge of the roof, until the ground beneath me gave way, and down I went inside the burning building.

**cliffie! MAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!...:mob appears at door:... yeeeah, i'll be running now...**


	13. Chapter 13: the sitting duck

**its late... and im tired... so please excuse any errors or sloppiness. thank you.**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13

The smoggy air… the blazing flames… the broken board piercing into my side…

Nothing could make it worse.

Well, except the building beginning to cave in.

It was once I opened my eyes to peer through the dancing bright colors that I could hear the rumbling from above. I tried to get up, but the sharp pain from the wound on my side kept me from moving. Smoke and ashes fluttered in through the doorway to the room as the roof fell just outside the room, and I felt uneasiness bloom at the pit of my stomach.

Am I going to die?

I had to ignore the pain from my struggling limbs as fear forced my body out of under the roof on top of me. As I got up, though, I could feel the pain even stronger, and I grasped the wound. Limping over to the blocked passage, I leaned upon the boards and pressed upon them with the little strength I had. Warmth was felt from the opposite side, and I closed my eyes. The rumbling, crackling, and heat was all I could bear, as I slowly slid down the boards and onto the dusty floor. The sound slowly morphed and muffled into nothingness as I drifted off into darkness.

----------------------

_"Rose… Rose…" a soft feminine voice echoed in my head… calling my name… beckoning through the darkness… so familiar…but at the same time… not so familiar…_

_"Rose!..." and then, it sounded frantic… and I thought maybe it was…_

"M-mom?..."

"MOM!" A new voice said, but it wasn't echoing or distant. It was right there in front of my face, a short blond haired girl.

"K-kyara?..."

"Don't worry Rose… Kari has healed all your wounds …you'll be better in no time!" she sounded very frantic, though she said my wounds were healed. Something was going on.

"ngh…"

The blurry blob moved out through the door, and my eyes focused to my familiar bedroom. I was alone once again, as Kyara had just left. I felt my side, and sure enough, my wound was gone. My shirt, though, had blood stains.

Then, I moved to get up, but my torso wouldn't move. I noticed that my back was completely numb. I was about to call out to somebody, but the door opened, and Kari bounded in.

"ROSE! Do you feel alright!"

"Well… my back feels awfully numb…" Kari's face became sort of pale.

"Oh… well, your back was slightly burnt in the fire… it's nothing serious, but… its best you stay in bed for a few days… you know, just lay there and let it heal…" MY face became pale.

"What, you can't heal burns?..."

"Not well, no… I tried on you, but for some reason, it wasn't working well… either way, you're staying in bed… your back landed hard on that floor… it'll heal eventually."

"N-no way… I can't do that… I just-" but she sighed and raised up a hand, the regular complexion returning to her face.

"No arguing… it's final… and it's not like you're going to be able to move for a few days anyway…" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was helpless… helpless to ANYTHING… especially at night, when nobody would be in here… and I would be defenseless… laying there for attack… a sitting duck…

"I'll have somebody taking care of me, right? Like Kyara or somebody?"

"Yeeeah… but it's not Kyara…" and when she said this, I saw a slight smile creep out upon her face. This look she was giving me made me swallow my breath. _Oh god… it isn't who I THINK it is, is it?... _

"Who is it…"

"Havoc!" she said, full on grinning.

I had a coughing attack.

"Roose!" she said, and came over to my side. I was coughing like crazy. She turned me onto my stomach and hit me hard on the back a few times. That didn't help at all, and just made me cough more. She healed my wounds, but she is incapable of stopping my cough… what an interesting nurse…

I finally caught my breath and she turned me on my back once again.

"H-havoc!... w-why him?..."

"Weeell… as it turns out, he volunteered himself… actually, more like Roy volunteered for him… so he'll be checking up on you. No worries." She said, and smiled faintly while sitting herself down on the bed. I stared at the roof, stabbing anymore curiosity left inside my head that might get me in more trouble like this… after all; it was curiosity that made me go to Lior in the first place… where I practically killed myself.

A knock on the door made us both jump.

"Come in!" Kari said, standing up. I had a sense who it was before he opened the door.

"Speak of the devil… hi Havoc!" she said in her cheerful way, but he didn't answer back. I could see him faintly bow his head out of the corner of my eye. "Well, I'll leave you two here… I must go and check on Roy." And with that remark, she moved around Havoc towards the door.

"Kari! Wai-"

"Bye Rose! Get well soon!" … and she was gone. Leaving us completely alone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**uuuuuuuuugh tired... revvvvviewwwwwww...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...**


	14. Chapter 14: I don't want to hear it

**Well, here's the next chapter! In response to _a FM fan_, who wrote:**

_**you do know taht Havoc is like ...20-30 years old, or something right?not 16.just to let you know..because,well i write fanfics all the time and a reader told me that info. I'm just a friendly reader passing on good advice for the future...please update (good plot and story) :P**_

**lol, duh I know he's 20-30 years old. But, you know, I don't want him to be old like that. I write teenage romance and I don't want him to be like way older than Rose. So yeah, I made him sixteen, and yeah I know his original age. Havoc and Roy are BOTH 16, even though they're both origionally like in their twenties. Thanks though! **

**Anywyas, PLEASE REVIEW YOU GUYS WHO HAVENT BEEN REVIEWING PLEASE PLEASE I WANNNA KNOW HOW U LIKE IT! I'm begging. C'mon. don't be afraid. but thank you those who have been reviewing. :D**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter 14

Great. A whole week, if not more. A whole week of this… full of awkward silences, questioning, and cautious glances. How FUN… F-U-N…

He sighed, quite loudly, and sat down in the desk chair. My eyes still gave full attention to the ceiling, though I could feel his eyes revert towards me every few seconds. What was the colonels PROBLEM, making HAVOC do this! Havoc cleared his throat, the only noise in the room. He wanted to start a conversation, but he didn't know how, for some reason. He easily got mad at me before… but why wasn't he mad at me now, after I did something WORSE than creeping around in the air vents?

"Well… thirsty?..."

"No not really."

"Right…" he continued looking out the window. I really WAS thirsty, and I could feel the dryness returning to my throat. I tried to gulp, but it felt like something was tickling my throat. I cleared my throat and coughed lightly, and he, for some reason, thought this was the right time to say something.

"I wanna know why you did that…"

"Did-" cough. "-what?..."

"What ELSE! What ELSE got your back burnt and you here in the bed, coughing like an old woman with bronchitis?" he said as my coughing became louder.

"Hey, its not-" cough "- my fault my curiosity sometimes gets out of-" cough "- control!"

"Sometimes?... ha… good one…"

"Do you-" cough "- mind if we talk about this like-" cough "- when I wasn't coughing my-" cough "-lungs out?..."

He finally sighed in defeat and stood up. "Fine, I'll get you some ice water from the kitchen… don't go anywhere…"

"Like i-" cough "- have a choice!"

"…Right…" he slowly walked to the door and exited. The attack on my lungs went on for a few seconds until finally dying off, and I was able to breath. It was suddenly so silent I could hear the second hand ticking loudly on the clock. I closed my eyes, feeling the serene breeze filter through the open window and hearing the soft flapping of the water-stained drapes. I found myself nodding off into a comfortable sleep every few seconds, until the door was rudely burst open, interrupting my peace and quiet.

"I'm back!" Kyara exclaimed loudly into the room. I gave her a look and her smile faded.

"Oh sorry… did I wake you up!"

"No…" I said and sighed. She sat down in Havoc's spot, crossing her legs. Where WAS he anyways?... It doesn't take this long to get ice water…

"I don't believe she came back…" she said, staring at the wall with a puzzled look.

"Who came back?..." I said, getting curious. I mean, if she brought it up suddenly, it was obviously something everybody knew about. Except me.

"You don't know?..."

"… how WOULD I!..."

"Oh sorry Rose…" she said and sighed again, uncrossing her legs and sitting up strait. "Well, Havoc used to have this girlfriend and-"

"He DID!..."

"Of course! It's Havoc! Goodness, you obviously don't know that boy very well…" she said, looking at me like I was mentally unstable. What the HELL was she talking about! "Anyways… well, he used to like cute, cheerful girls with a good personality, and so he went out with the flower girl, Grace, down the street a ways… Rose, if you don't close your mouth, a big bug will fly into your mouth and you'll choke to death…" she said, noting my wide-open mouth. I was astounded. He was so… COLD… and QUIET… cute and cheerful did NOT seem like his type… and he liked the flower girl down the street?...

"S-sorry… it's just… wow…" I said, my jaw raising to its normal state, but my mouth still partially open to let me breath.

"Yeah… well, now that I think about it… he hasn't been acting himself lately, so I'm not surprised to find this all astounding. I mean, he used to flirt with every girl he saw… and he used to be hilarious… we all used to pick on him, how his girlfriends were always stolen by the colonel. Now, it's like he's changed… I keep trying to think back to when he started acting like this, but… that wasn't since last time we came to the HQ." she said and looked out the window, feeling the breeze through her hair. "That feels nice…"

"Go on." I said suddenly, and she turned away to look at me weirdly. "Sorry, just… keep going… I want to know more…."

"Alright…" she said and looked up at the ceiling to think. "Where was I?..."

"He's been acting weird lately, ever since you returned."

"Right… I don't know… it's as if, somebody did something to him… changed him… he's not even SMOKING anymore… that's a miracle… he's gotta have found something new to be hooked on…" …and then there was a silence. My heart was pounding harder than ever before, like I was running for my life. My head pulsed, my breathing shortened, everything sort of a daze. To make the situation more difficult, Kyara looked down from the ceiling and strait at me, a sparkle in her wide eyes. Her mouth slowly opened to a completely ajar state, and she was beginning to scare me.

"…… YOU…."

"No, not me!"

"YOU!" she said and jumped up, a hand flying to her mouth. "Ever since YOU have-"

"STOP IT, KYARA!" my heart had stopped by now. If my back wasn't working, I would've been sprinting out the door in a flash.

"You have done this to him… you are his new high… because he-"

"STOP IT! STOP IT NOW! SHUT UP!" I screamed at her, covering my face. And she did stop. My quaking hands returned to their normal size, shrinking from the daggers they had formed just a split second ago in my psychotic state. I couldn't hear it, not now, not ever. I knew it would only hurt me…

"Rose… y-your hands… just…"

"I KNOW…"

"But… that was just like… oh never mind…" I could hear get up. "If you don't want me to be here, then I'll just leave…

"Just like WHAT…"

"Well… we've been pursuing some homunculi and well… one of them almost seemed to have the same power."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Review… you know the drill… **


	15. Chapter 15: It's a secret

**Yeyeah! Chapter 15! Yeah I know, been a while, but at least I'm not procrastinating/suffering from writers block like I am with my other story "The Space Between Us"… lol… people who are also reading that story and this one, I'm sorry, but yeah I am suffering from writers block. Truthfully. Neways, yeah, here's chapter 15. I thought it was pretty kool myself :P.**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter 15

My head went completely numb.

All I could do was stare at her, try to process what information she had just released to me.

A homunculus. The same power as me. What did that mean?...

I heard Kyara say something, but I couldn't exactly tell what, with other thoughts blocking the focus to my surroundings. I heard her say my name, and when I looked up, it was too late to respond.

She had left me in the room, all alone, longing questions fresh in my mind.

Questions I'd been yearning to ask my whole life.

I slowly lifted my hands to my face. They were shaking violently, caused by my well-awake nervous system. _Maybe I could get up now_, I thought, but when I attempted to sit up, my back refused to help. No luck.

I looked to the door when I heard the handle turn, and two glasses of ice water jingled in the hands of my baby sitter. He stopped abruptly, though, when he saw my face. Judging by his look, I must have seemed quite anxious.

"I didn't know I took THAT long…" he said, walking over to hand me the cold glass. I took it, trying to take a sip, but the rim was tilted too far down to my lips and cold water splashed on my face. I could hear Havoc sigh through my sputtering. When I wiped away my face, I noticed two cold hands had reached below my arms to prop me up against the wall of the bed. I felt my face get hot, but tried not to show my embarrassment.

He reached for the chair behind him and brought it up closer to the bed, handing over my ice water again. I refused to look at his face, too thankful for the help.

He took a swig of his water while I simply stared at the solid blocks of ice in mine. I noticed small lines weaving throughout the transparent frozen chunks, creating some sort of random, crystallized pattern, and it reminded me of the word "confusion". Maybe Havoc could answer my questions.

"So… tell me… what WERE you doing at Lior, anyways?..." Havoc beat me to the questions, bringing up the unpleasant subject I clearly remembered.

"Besides falling through the roof and almost dying? Oh, nothing in particular…" I said, praying in my mind he would just stop right there. But he didn't.

"May I ask WHY you were at Lior?"

"No, you may not." I grumbled.

"Well, I think I'll be rude ask you anyway. Why were you at Lior?" he asked. I finally looked at him, but no comment to keep him silent came out of my mouth. His head was slightly tilted, looking questioning and curious.

"It's a secret" I said, turning back to my drink and taking a sip that burned my throat from its extreme cold temperature.

"I can keep a secret" he said, and I turned back to him again, suddenly eager. _This is my chance…_ I thought. _Just tell him… tell him now…. _My lungs began to ache, as I had stopped breathing, and my heart was circulating blood much too quickly. When I took a breath and another painful drink, I had lost all courage.

"And I promised to keep mine" I said, staring into my drink again. I was so close… so close to telling him… but I just couldn't. Was it fear he wouldn't keep his word?... was it fear of telling anybody who I really was?... or was… it fear of word that I had spilled to somebody would reach the ears of a dangerous, greedy man?...

When the room fell silent, I realized how much this conversation wasn't about Lior. It was about why I was here in Headquarters, a complete stranger, with no recorded profile.

Havoc leaned back in his chair, a sign he had given up; for now, at least. I reached over and placed my drink, ice cubes shrunken so they just barely made a noise when moved, on the bedside table.

10 minutes passed, with no sound but the ticking clock on the work desk. I found myself breathing silently, purposely not trying to catch attention. When somebody knocked on the door, we both jumped.

"Come in" Havoc said, and he stood up when the door opened to show Colonel Roy Mustang. Just my luck.

"Havoc. I would like to speak to Rose alone, if you don't mind." He said, looking over at me, a hint of a devious smile showing with the slight curve of his lips. I gulped and looked at Havoc, who simply nodded and headed for the door. _DAMNIT! GET BACK HERE!_ I thought as he exited, closing the door behind him.

The room was silent, only for a brief moment, when it was broken… by Roy's deep, gradual laugh that worked its way into extreme, filling the room. It was the kind of laugh that shook the bones, froze the heart, and boggled the mind. One of those laughs you didn't know the meaning of.

One of those laughs Greed would give me when he was very, very mad

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**MUAAAHAHAHAHA! Another cliffie…aha… ahahaha…. Alright yeah I better stop before u guys shoot me. well, please please PLEASE review like I always nag you about… palease? Thankyas! **

**Oh also responding to NinjaAngel who asked:**

O.O no what's wrong with my havoc ?

**Lol… nothing's wrong with him… I lub him very much but yeah its just Rose bein confuzzled. Get used to this type of character reaction for it means nothing personally against him. if you keep reading, you'll discover she proves herself wrong. **


	16. Chapter 16: short attention span saves

**well, here's chapter 16. not much to say, really. hope you like it:)**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter 16

I shuddered. Yes, it was quite chilly with the open window sending a cool breeze into the room, but that wasn't why I felt so cold.

The laughter died down after a few moments, when it had totally sunken into my system. I felt like throwing up, for my stomach was doing somersaults, despite my constant gaze towards the maniac facing me from across the room, who had stopped laughing all together and now stood tall and luminous near the doorway. His wolf-like smile made me even more uncomfortable, and the step forward he dared to take made me cringe slightly closer to the wall, if ever possible to do so.

"Rose Rose Rose…" his dark, soft voice filled the room, but in a different way than his laughter. His steps were slow, but my room was very small, and in a flash he had seated himself in the chair next to my bed.

"I just can't seem to figure you out yet…" he said, peering at me like I was an abstract painting. I shifted my eyes in his direction, but looked back to the door he had entered. _Kyara?... Kari?... Havoc?... ANYBODY out there who might want to come in right now!... _

"It's as if, when I get one theory about who you really are, you go off and do something else that makes it entirely impossible…" he continued. I was getting bored of his rambling, as I knew he would never really figure me out this way. Not yet, at least.

"What do you want, Roy?" I asked, turning to him. The smirk was instantly gone and his lips became tight. I had just fed the fire.

"I want to know why I didn't kick you out of Head Quarters the first time I saw you, Rose." He said darkly, and I felt something inside me sink. "I knew something was wrong with you when you first walked into my office, your hands shaking, that look on your face as if you were TRESSPASSING…"

"Something WRONG with me!" I fumed, suddenly furious, possibly as furious as him. The look returned to his face, the one he wore so often.

"Well, maybe not wrong… but … special. Yes, that is the word… special…" he spoke to the ceiling, and I began to get curious. Could he mean my powers? But he didn't see my powers then… in fact, he hadn't seen them at all. "But don't worry… I'll figure out what it is that is so peculiar about you."

As he said this, I couldn't help but scoff. "Me. SPECIAL. Aha. You are so very funny, Colonel…" I retorted, and he looked puzzled. "Why, I am but a traveler… roaming the roads with no goal, no objective… just in need of love and a home." I said with a small smile. He knew I was only saying this to push his buttons. What is the point of acting my well-rehearsed past in front of him anymore?

"Every traveler has their story. No person has a past of traveling constantly… at your young age, it would be quite impossible to get along by yourself, now, wouldn't it?" his eyebrows rose. My own eyebrows went up with the widening of my eyes, but before I could say a thing, Kari floated in. She carried a tray with a bowl of steaming food, and a glass of orange juice. As soon as she saw Roy, her smile dropped, as well as the tray she was holding.

Her gasp was scarcely heard as the tray clattered to the floor, sending the soup a few feet away and strait towards Roy's shoe. He let it splat onto his polished boot, and Kari rushes over to clean it off.

"OH, my! I am terribly sorry!" she shrieked, and reached for the towel I used from the shower a few days ago. I had nothing to say, but Roy lifted a hand in protest.

"I'll forgive you, only if you get off that floor," he smiled warmly, and redness crept up from her neck and flushed into her face as she slowly rose up off her knees. It's hard to believe a minute ago Roy was the big bad wolf, and now here he was, kindly helping Kari pick up the mess all over my dorm floor.

"I'll go get some more towels," Kari squeaked, reaching for the door, but Roy grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Her blush deepened.

"Nonsense… I'll go get them." He said, and stepped over the mess to get out of the room. Kari stood near the door, staring dreamily at the chipped paint and sighing a good 2 or 3 times. I cleared my throat to let her know I was still present in the room.

"Oh Rose… do forgive me." she whispered, and sat in the very popular chair beside me. "I can't help it… every time I'm near him, I feel so weak and helpless! I feel as though I must wait on him hand and foot… or he might not…" she trailed off into thought, accompanied by another longing exhale.

"Like you?" I finished for her, and she snapped back to me. Her eyes were enlarged to their greatest extent, looking at me as if I had just told her some shocking news.

"So y-you know?..."

"Good god, who doesn't?"

"So I am really that obvious!..." she croaked, and looked at some spot on the wall.

"Kari, did you ever think of… TELLING him?..." I suggested, but she shook her head vigorously.

"Of course not!"

"Well, why not?"

"I could NEVER!... I mean, there are just so many things that could go wrong with that…"

"Such as what?" I asked, quite curious.

"Well, for one, I might stutter and make a complete fool of myself."

"That's fixable. What else?"

"He might not even like me back…" she muttered gloomily. I found myself laughing hard at this one. She looked hurt.

"What's funny! I'm not sure yet!... it's hard to tell with Roy… he seems to have the same expression on his face whenever I look at him…" she said, going back into her dreamy look. I snapped in front of her face to keep her attention, and she blinked, sitting up. "oh god… dreadfully sorry… I don't think you quite understand my situation… you have to be in my position to know what I'm going through…"

"Who says I've never been in your position before?" I asked, but quickly regretted it. She looked at me with a surprised smile on her face.

"So you DO like somebody!" she said excitedly, squealing. What on earth had I created?

"Kari, please… I didn't mean it that way…"

"Then explain to me what you DID mean!" she was still smiling ear to ear. I had to think quickly.

"Well… I-I mean, I can understand how you feel… I've felt… love… for… a dog I once had… and… I didn't know if he just let me pet him because he really did love me or because he wanted his belly filled with treats…" I had lied completely, but Kari was so oblivious she nodded in sullen approval. _Whew…_

"I had a doggy once… his name was Alfred… I miss him oh so much…"she said, sniffling. Thank goodness she had changed the subject. "It was an unfortunate accident… it was much too late to save him…" She said, and continued on with a story of how her well-loved puppy had crossed the street at the same time a car wheeled around the corner, and at one point in the story I had to surrender my shower towel to her running nose. I nodded as she spoke, but inside I wasn't paying attention one bit to what she was saying. Words came out, but I didn't understand them. I could only think about if what I said about understanding her position was an earnest statement…

"Rose, you look tired" Kari ended up saying after concluding her dreadfully long story with another wipe of her nose(I made a mental note in my mind to send the towel down to the laundry room when I was well again). Regardless of my 'oh, of course not's and my 'please, sit down again's, I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. Kari bid her ado and left the room, giving me a chance to let out a long-kept-in yawn.

The room was empty and silent, save the ever-so-annoying cars that reeled past my open window. I turned off the light and found myself in a dream I never would forget.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**hehe. i'm already done with the next chapter. haha. put it up soon. pleeeeeeeease review! don't be shy! well, as long as it's not flaming. **


	17. Chapter 17: Weird dream

**Well, I've had this chapter and a couple others done for a while now, but I kept forgetting to submit them. So here is 17, and more will be coming soon. I've been soooo busy lately… but I haven't forgotten about this story, in case you all thought I did. If any readers of this story have been reading "Space between us" too, I'm going to try and work on that one as well. Yup. So please enjoy this chapter and review!!!:D**

Chapter 17

_I was in water, twisting and turning in delight. Sunlight from above the surface was casting a glare down upon my skin, making it glow a brilliant color. I was laughing. A cloud slowly passed over the sun. No, a human figure. _

_I squinted my eyes to see who it was, but I couldn't see their face. All I could see was their muscular body, and what looked like swim trunks, floating around their waist._

_It was a boy. _

_The figure's size increased as they came closer to me, their hand outstretching…_

I woke up, gasping in air that stung my lungs. It was extremely cold in the room, and my air came out in steam-train puffs of white breath. The window sent in a cold draft, the curtains ruffling slightly.

Havoc was leaned back in the chair, sleeping soundly, his chest moving up and down slowly. A blanket draped over him, though he still shivered slightly. He looked so peaceful, almost angelic…

I tried to stop thinking there, putting a hand to my forehead as if to make a literal attempt, which was very warm for some reason. It felt good against my white-cold hand.

I checked the clock, which read 3:45 in bright neon green. Rubbing my eyes sleepily, I laid back down against my pillow, bringing up the blankets to cover my neck, and falling into a dreamless sleep.

---------------------------

Kyara and Kari were in my room the next morning, bringing me breakfast and a bundle of gossip. Thankfully, Kyara chose not to bring up her luck of seeing my recently discovered powers. Havoc had left to go on some sort of mission for Roy, but I am happy enough with two cheerful friends to keep my mind off all the train wrecks going on in my mind.

"So, he said 'oh my gosh, I never said that!' and she was like 'I KNOW you did!! She was at the party last night!! You totally slept with her!!', and then he said 'for the last time, I didn't!' and then there was this whole big…."

Blondie chatted on and on while Kari listened intently, and I poked at the much-too-burnt scrambled eggs with a plastic fork. The meal they had given me was hardly edible, everything either soggy, scorched, or in need of a whole shaker of salt, which they had forgotten to bring up on my tray.

"My gosh, what a drag… poor Carrie… I support her all the way…"

"Oh, Rose! I just remembered!" Kyara piped up out of the blue. "Roy let us bring in a wheelchair from the hospital a few wings down and over, and it's waiting right outside of the door! Goodness, how could I forget…"

"Maybe it's because it won't fit through the door!" Kari reminded her.

"Oh, gosh, that's right!!" Kyara looked out into space a moment, the memory coming back. "Whatever do we do?..."

"We should carry her out there! It shouldn't be too difficult." Red-head suggested, and Kyara nodded. I shook my head.

"Are you KIDDING me? I'm much too heavy…" I said, speaking the truth. I was much taller than them both. They looked at me as if I came from a different planet.

"Rose! Don't be so mean to yourself!" Kari said, standing up. I shook my head and mouthed 'no, you couldn't!', but she grabbed underneath my arms in an instant. Kyara joined her, twisting me around so she could grab my legs. I sighed in defeat; there was no way to convince them otherwise. My food slid off onto the bed from my lap, and I am allegedly ready for take off.

"One…."

"Two…." Kari giggled uncontrollably.

"THREE!!!" They pulled me off the bed, and as I suspected, I instantly gave way to gravity and we all topple onto the floor. I landed on them safely, but I could feel a bruise forming on my elbows. They broke out into booming, un-ladylike laughs, but I felt mortified, the size of a hippopotamus. Their faces were red with merriment and aching stomachs.

"OH Rose we are so sorry!!!" Kyara said in giggles, and I shrug. After the laughter died down into giggles, I was hoisted back onto the bed on their 5th attempt. By then, I felt extremely obese, regardless of the fact I was just as thin as they were (And a good 5 inches taller than them, too). Havoc came back a few minutes later, when the weaklings had resumed conversation.

"What's that wheelchair doing outside the room?..." he asked, even though it was quite obvious it didn't belong to Kari or Kyara. They broke out into giggles again, and I blushed deeply. I could die.

"Well… Kyara and I, being weaklings, couldn't get her out through the door…" Kyara giggled louder, but Havoc looked confused.

"We couldn't fit the wheelchair through the door, so we tried to pick HER up and get HER out THERE, and…" she explained, but wasn't able to finish. They were laughing again, falling off their chairs. I knew they meant no harm, but I still felt mortified.

I sighed and look at the ceiling, expecting Havoc to grin himself. But instead, when I looked back at him, he was walking over, looking slightly apologetic. He bended down and whispered into my ear so I could hear him over their laughter.

"Would you like some help?"

My heart skipped so many beats I was afraid it had stopped all together. Before I was able to answer, he reached underneath my legs and arms, bringing me out of the bed as if it were no trouble at all. I could hear the girls stop laughing.

I was in his arms, our bodies so close I wasn't able to breathe. His arms and chest were soothingly warm, like a crackling fire on a cold winter night, but I found I couldn't relax in his arms at all. He smelled of distant smoke and some other sweet smell I couldn't identify.

I feared he could hear my heart as I did, pounding deafeningly from the top of my head to the tips of my fingers and toes. He swiftly walked across the room as if I was at light as a feather; I felt the duo gazing at him in awe.

"Somebody get the door" he said, slightly agitated, and I felt his deep voice vibrate through my arm that rested against his chest. I couldn't help but shiver.

Both of them raced to the door, but Kyara got there first, swinging it open and looking back at Kari, who had the same expression. He carried me out into the hallway and set me down into the chair, cold rushing to my skin when his body warmth left me.

Havoc leaned against the doorway behind me, shuffling to let Kari and Kyara out. One of them grabbed the handles to the wheelchair, the other one close behind.

"T-thanks…" I muttered, but we had already headed down around the corner and far from the room, all of us shunned into silence in a state of complete amazement.

---------------------------

It was completely silent between the three of us as they wheeled me down along the halls, not going in any specific direction. I felt weird in some way, being mobile again. It felt good, too, seeing the repetitious doors zoom by me like the trees had when we first arrived here at Central.

Central. Train. My mission. Greed.

My stomach lurched at the thought that he was still out there. I wondered if he had still met at that alleyway, waiting for me to come each night. Gulping down my worries, I tried to stop thinking of him, of why I was really here. Did it even matter anymore? It seemed I had a whole other life to hide from him now. As long as I didn't bump into him, I was safe… right?

"Where would you like to go, Rose? How about Roy's-"

"No." I said flatly, startling them both.

"Why not?..." Kari sounded hurt.

"I just don't want to see him." I said again. My patience was diminishing quickly. _Perhaps I should get some fresh air…_

"How about just outside? Around the town?" I suggested as we pulled up to the elevator.

"Why not?" Kyara agreed, Kari still hot about my decision against the colonel's office. With a chime, the elevator opened, and we headed down towards the busy streets of Central.

**Well, review please! That's all I really have to say…**


	18. Chapter 18: The Flower Shop

**Oh my, another chapter! I don't know why I haven't been working on it lately. I've been soooo busy with school and the musical that I haven't had time for any inspiration. But finally it came as I was looking at pictures of Havoc and thinking "It would be so cool to write a story with him… WAIT! I have one!" So I quickly edited this chapter and now its here! Haa! **

**I dedicate this inspiration not only to the HavocFrenzy club on for the pictures that got me back to the story but also to my school for giving us winter break! **

**Read and enjoy, for I think this chapter is one of my favorites. You'll see why;-)**

Chapter 18

My eyes were forced closed to squint when the sunlight bled onto my face. I hadn't been outside for a day or two, so the air felt cold and refreshing. Cars zoomed down the streets as people tittered on with their walks, commenting on the scenery of the beautifully kept city.

Taking the ramp, we entered the flow of the other pedestrians and walked along the sidewalk. As we passed the alleyway I was usually to meet Greed at, I kept my eyes forward.

"Where do you want to go, Rose?" Kyara asked as we turned down a street. I breathed in deeply, gathering my courage.

"The flower shop." I said, and while doing so, noticing the coldness in my tone.

-------------------------------

I could see them down the street before we arrived, their colors catching my eye as they popped out of the dull gray brick walls that paneled the rest of the street. The flower's bloomed out of the shop and onto the walkway, putting an enchanting spell upon innocent strollers and coaxing them to buy at least one single red rose. I had to hold my breath as we approached the shop, the fragrance floating through my nostrils before I was able to touch the soft, dew-beaded petal of a lily branching off of a bouquet. Kyara and Kari breathed out sighs of content and they soaked in the vibrant colors and intoxicating smells. For a moment, I thought this would be a nice visit.

Until I saw the flower girl.

She was the classic girl next door. Hair in a low ponytail drooping over her shoulder, over which a few bouquets of freshly picked petunias framed her face like an exotic angel, she picked up each flower with grace and gently placed them in a display adorning the cash register. She was gorgeous.

"What a pretty girl!" Kari whispered as we hid behind a potted sunflower. The girl looked around at the flowers, her lips stretched across perfect teeth in a breath-taking smile, and her eyes finally fell upon us. Soon enough, she had rushed over to us in greeting, and in doing so, turning my stomach inside out with nervousness.

"Good morning!" she said, her voice the sound of a minstrel's harp. The two behind me stuttered out their good morning, while I was silent. "Would you like to buy a bouquet?"

"Yes, if we have enough money…" Kyara said, rummaging through her jacket pocket for some change. The girl raised a hand, smiling gently.

"Oh, that's quite alright. Please, take a bouquet or two! We have plenty more growing!"

"You GROW these flowers!? ALL of them?!" Kari asked with amazement. I, too, was amazed, but I couldn't seem to say anything. The girl shyly nodded, a tint of pink brushing her cheeks.

"My gosh! That's amazing!" Kyara joined in, giggling with excitement and giddiness.

"Well, if it wasn't for Tara, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with it. I couldn't have possibly done this all by myself!" she said, turning back to the shop door. "Tara! Come out here!"

After a few seconds, a girl appeared at the door. She too was quite intimidating, but in an extremely opposite way of the girl we had just talked to. She, as well, was very pretty, but in a more gothic way.

This girl was definitely into the punk scene, with her corset top, ripped fishnets, and combat boots. The eye-makeup made her look like a raccoon and her face looked as white as a ghost. But her appearance wasn't what made me feel inferior. The fact that this girl was friends with flower girl was completely confusing for me, as their senses of style were completely opposite.

The flower girl pointed to us. The girl called Tara laid her amber eyes on the three of us and a smile completing her look stretched across her black lips.

"Wicked!" she said with a dark voice. She even used the slang her appearance seemed to scream.

"Can we get back to Head Quarters now?" I asked the two gawking girls behind me, and I heard a gasp from the innocent one in front of me.

"_Head Quarters? Oh my…_!!" the flower girl said, and I could see a blush rising on her cheeks. "I haven't been there in so long!! Tara, we MUST go by sometime! Then you could meet him!"

I gulped, knowing who she was talking about.

"_Him_? Who is _him_?" Tara questioned, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

"Oh, I'll tell you about him when we go back inside." She turned back to us. "When would be a good time to drop by?"

"How about tomorrow night? Around seven." I hear Kari answer. I closed my eyes in frustration, wanting desperately to sew her mouth shut. Both girls looked delighted when I opened my eyes again.

"That sounds wonderful!! We'll be over tomorrow night then! By the way, my name is Grace. It is very nice to meet you!"

"You too! I'm Kyara." The blond behind me said as she shook Graces' hand. She looked down at me and offered her hand to me, but I pretended I couldn't see it and looked away. She faultered a moment, sensing something wrong, but she moved up to Kari's hand.

"Well…Toodles!" Kari said, waving happily after she introduced herself. They said their goodbyes, and soon enough, we were off through the forest of flowers again. Their sent was giving me a terrible, terrible headache.

------------------------

We strolled along the streets, Kyara and Kari chattering about the two nice girls we met at the flower shop, while I sat there ignoring the rest of the world. I had no idea why I had decided to go there. It was as if something inside me had taken over, some curious person that I couldn't put my finger on. Why did I want to meet Havoc's ex-girlfriend?

The cars still wizzed by, the people chattering around us, but it seemed like the rest of the world was muted.

We passed by all the familiar places getting to the flower shop, the buildings still the same busy commuting that had been going on all day. The world wouldn't stop for us, or even NOTICE three ordinary girls like us.

All except for something out there, following me with their eyes. Somewhere in the crowd, somebody was looking at me, noticing me. I could sense this person like an animal senses an earthquake.

I looked around, searching through the busy activities for any sign of peculiar behavior. I saw none, and looked back forward.

"Rose, are you looking for someone?" Kari curiously asked.

"No, of course not-"

And then, I knew where the eyes were coming from. I looked up at the roof of a building next to us, and they were there.

As soon as I saw the face, they disappeared just as quickly when we passed under a sunshade. They were gone, and I had forgotten what they looked like.

We exited the covering, and I strained to look behind me to the roof. Instead, my eyes met Kyara and Kari. I was able to see they were watching me the whole time.

"Rose… what are you doing?..."

"N-nothing." I said, giving them a crooked, sheepish smile. Their expressions did not change, so I slowly turned back forward in my seat as they continued speaking of tomorrow. The sky was orange with the sun setting, and I inhaled the glorious colors.

Then something dawned on me: Havoc was going to be reunited with his ex-girlfriend, and it was all because of me.

--------------------------------------

On the way up the building, we stopped by the nurse's office and moved me into a smaller chair that fit through the doorway. I was happy to find my arms were gaining some more strength back, and I could shift myself from each chair. During my excitement, however, I fell on the floor when attempting to stand on my feet. My legs still wouldn't hold steady, and Kari and Kyara helped me back into the chair.

Back at the door to my dorm, no noise came from inside. Sure enough, we finally noticed a note flutter to the floor when we opened the door. Kyara picked it up and read it aloud.

"Gone for business, be back later. I promise I'll be back to give you dinner. Havoc."

For some reason, I felt something inside me warm up like a furnace at the letter. Perhaps it was the word _"promise"_.

Ever since the night he was in my room, he didn't seem as cold to me, as if he felt wrong for intruding on me. I felt like he could trust me a bit more, which didn't make much sense; It was as if he knew I wasn't going to do anything troublesome right now.

When Kari was helping me get into my pajamas (Kyara had gone to "talk" to Ed. "It's strictly business" she said, though her cheeks were turning pink), she noticed something.

"Rose… your back!" She gasped. I turned to look, but I couldn't see. I crawled back into the wheelchair and moved it over to the bathroom. As I lifted up out of the chair, back to the mirror, I could see it.

My back was completely clean. It had not one scar, burn mark, or cracked skin. At first, I thought my eyes were tricking me, but I backed up closer to the mirror.

I wasn't dreaming.

"Rose, that's…. that's amazing… I've never seen a wound that bad heal so quickly!" Kari staggered, following me into the bathroom with a much-to-big-for-me shirt(hand-me-down of a state alchemist named Alex Armstrong, whoever that was), and slipped it over my head. I shook my head.

"I had nothing to do with it…" I said, stunned myself.

I crawled into bed as Kari wished me goodnight, the light leaving bright dancing dots in my eyes as it was switched off. I knew the day was over, but it seemed like there was so much more to do, to find out.

With all that and the dreading of tomorrow coming, how could I possibly get sleep?

----------------------------------------

I woke up in the middle the night with a grumbling stomach. Only an hour had passed since I went to bed, and I suddenly remembered Havoc promised to bring me food. I rubbed my eyes sleepily, and turned to look at the clock-

"You snore, you know that?"

I screamed. A short one, but loud none the less. He leaned back in the chair, eyes clenched shut in hope to block out my shrieking madness. I put a hand to my chest to calm down my fluttering heart, closing my eyes.

"It's not a loud one, just a really small, soft one…hardly noticeable! Don't have a cow…"

"Don't DO that!" I said, shaking my head. I could hear Havoc chuckling silently, so I shot him a sideways warning glare. He stopped then, his lips tight to hold in more laughter. His eyes looked into mine like a child hiding something from its mother, but after a moment, they softened into a look I had never seen him give me.

I sensed some sort of shift in our settings.

There was complete silence, his laughter echoing far off. He leaned up from the back of the chair, eyes still on mine. His hand lifted from the armrest. Warmth rushed to every point of my body, my face getting the most of it. A blush. I had felt this feel before, when we first met, when he had picked me up. He was the only person I had ever felt it with.

What was it?

He slowly came closer and closer, my heart thumping more out of control with every inch of space depleted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand reaching up to my face.

I blinked slowly, trying to figure out if this was a dream, and when my eyelids opened again…

A dumpling was shoved into my mouth.

"You should eat." He said candidly, and leaned back in his chair. His face was turned towards the window, the small spark in his eyes when he looked at me dulled into the moons reflection.

My heart dropped like a heavy anvil, crushing the life of the little butterflies in my stomach.

Whatever had just happened wasn't computing in my head. For a split second, I even wanted to slap him for making me feel that way.

I turned to the wall and lay on my side, eating the tasteless dumpling slowly. I was embarrassed, hungry, and exhausted.

I had a feeling tomorrow would be the worse day of my life.

**Hehe. Well, you'll be happy to know the other chapter is almost complete so you don't have to worry about waiting a whole lot longer. Please review if you feel you have something I could improve on, or just to let me know if I'm doing a good job, because I really don't know XD… or if there's any suggestions for what should happen(just no "oooooh havoc should kiss her and tell her everythings alright!" cus I already have that part all planned out:D). Trust me, I WILL finish this story, even if it takes a whole other year, because I know what is going to happen. It's just putting it into words that id hard XD. Please be patient if you enjoy this story. **


	19. Chapter 19: Stupid dress

**Chapter 19 is here! Whew. And another one is gonna go up too. Gosh, am I on a roll today. I'm so happy I'm past my mood of unwriting-ness. Hope ya likey. **

Chapter 19

The morning came unpleasantly, my head throbbing as if battered with a metal club. I was opening my eyes when some clothes engulfed my face from above. I quickly pushed them away with a grunt.

"Kari. She said your old clothes had holes in them, so she's loaning you some new ones" Havoc said, his mouth filled with eggs and bacon. A TV tray sat on his lap, and he took another bite.

I sat up painfully, inspecting the wardrobe given to me. Held up before me was a white cotton sun dress, slightly ruffled at the rim. I had seen her wear this dress the day I met her. I groaned silently.

"What's the complaining about?" Havoc said, crunching down into burnt-black toast.

"I'm not a "spring" person … I'm more of a… winter…" I said, setting down the dress.

"Kari doesn't do dark and depressing. What else would you expect from her?"

I was insulted by this, but buried it somewhere for later uses. Frustrated with this conversation, I got off the bed. Havoc jumped violently, his unappetizing breakfast spilling onto the floor. I darted away from the mess.

"What!?" I said, looking around for trouble. _Could he be back?!... _

"You're standing!" he exclaimed, pointing to my feet.

"Yeah… I am…" I thought a moment before it hit me hard, a gasp expelling from my mouth. "I am! I can walk!" Despite myself, I jumped up, happy as ever. I was bending and testing out my legs when one of them finally gave way. I collapsed to the floor.

"Easy there…" Havoc said, bending down. "Your muscles aren't quite worked out yet. You haven't been exercising the past few days."

"R-right…" I said with a blush from both embarrassment and stupidity. It was probably a shock to him to see me act so happy.

My hand found the edge of the bed and I steadied myself on my calloused feet. Grabbing the dress and going inside the bathroom, I changed into the jolliest dress I had ever worn. I couldn't look in my mirror for more than a second; I looked like a dark demon dressed in something a porcelain doll would wear. A knock came from the door, startling me.

"I'll be downstairs in the cafeteria." He said, and I heard the door open and close. Coming out of the bathroom, I was thinking back to why I was so upset last night. All I could remember was the dumpling incident, but there was another thing that kept me up for another hour…

I finally remembered, and all happiness vanished. It was _the_ day. The day Kari had mistakably made that would most likely rekindle old feelings between too lovers and possibly destroy anothers.

The day I would meet Havoc's ex girlfriend.

-----------------------------------

I wandered the top story for a while, feeling like a haunting ghost with nowhere to go but to hell; and trying desperately to avoid it. Eventually, I made my way to the elevator-of-a-Charon(A.N. if you don't know who Charon is, he is the dude who brings people to the underworld in Greek mythology) and lowered myself to the level of the cafeteria- or better known as, The Underworld.

Unlike usually, the cafeteria wasn't packed to the brim with starving soldiers. Only a few soldiers sat in the large dining hall, so it was easy to spot Havoc. He sat among a few other soldiers, so I approached shyly from behind.

One of the soldiers, a short, black haired one, cleared his throat as he looked up at me behind large circular glasses, the table growing silent with my arrival. Havoc turned around, and I could tell from his look he was surprised. I thought maybe it was the fact that I didn't approach him a lot outside of the dorm room, but his eyes weren't fixated on my face. They were looking at the white spring dress I was wearing, wide and flabbergasted. The others were whispering to each other, hopefully not about how ridiculous I looked. I folded my hands in front of me, feeling the wave of crimson creep up my neck and into my cheeks.

"Is this that girl that you're taking care of, Jean?" A taller, squinty-eyed man said next to the one in glasses. Grey hair drooped over his face, but he didn't look all too old. A stout, red headed man sat behind him, his eyes locked on me with peculiar interest.

"And wasn't she also the one who helped with that big victory for the Ishbalans when we went in to attack?" the one with glasses said bitterly, and I felt my face burning with embarrassment. Havoc turned back to them, and I felt my face cool down slightly.

"Cut it out you guys… she just got out of the wheelchair." He mumbled and shook his head; and then gave them some sort of a sign with his head and mouthed a few words I couldn't make out. All of them widened their eyes, looking up at me.

"OH!" the red-head said, then looking at me with a smile. My blush only got deeper. "Well… in that case, invite her to eat with us!" he said, and pushed aside the tall one next to him, who scowled. What had he said to them?

"W-well actually… I just came here to ask you a question." I muttered softly, cueing Havoc to turn back to me while the others snickered at something I said. I leaned down to his ear, looking at the boys across the table expectantly. It took a moment for them to take the hint, but eventually the "OH! Riiight…." Was heard and they resumed their talking. They were still paying attention with their eyes, though, so I spoke softly.

"Do you know where Kyara and Kari are?" I whispered, and he thought a moment, during which time I noticed his breathing: soft and swift, reminding me of the wind. I shivered when he began talking.

"I think they're in the kitchen, preparing for tonight. I heard we're having guests or something?" he muttered back with slight interest. _They told him… now he is definitely coming._

"Nothing much… just some people we met on the street." I said, and he leaned back a bit so I could see his "freaked-out" look. I shook my head. "No, not like that… just… one person you know and her friend." I said gloomily- and partly meaning to say it that way.

"Who?" he finally shot it out strait. I gulped.

"Well, it's a funny thing… we stopped by the flower shop and-"

"Rose!!" a chipper voice burst into the cafeteria. I turned my head to see Kari bouncing over to us, but Havoc didn't seem to care about the new arrival and grabbed my arm, bringing me down onto the bench beside him. And then, he put both hands on my shoulders and looked deep- scary deep- into my eyes.

I felt it again. The weakness, starting from my chest and spreading to the muscles of my arms, draining all strength I had worked into them in all the years of my living; continuing on up my neck and to my brain, where fuzziness worked into the edges of my vision, leaving it to focus on every detail of his eyes and the feeling they struck through me. His mouth moved and the words slowly sunk in.

"Who did you meet at the flower shop?" the words entered my ears. I was knocked out of my little state of surprise and I couldn't think of how to answer the question. I opened my mouth to speak "I don't know…" but two more hands found my arm and yanked me away from his grasp.

"Rose we need help in the kitchen!" I heard Kari say, but I could only concentrate on Havoc's expression:

He looked worried almost; anxious in a weird sort of way, and confused. I tried to speak, but my legs caught my balance as she yanked me out of the seat and began dragging me away.

Kyaras' voice began to echo through my head as I began thinking about last night and what was happening right now.

_You have done this to him…_

Havoc stood up, and his hand reached out towards mine to bring me back to the conversation.

I couldn't help it: one foot moved in front of the other, and I stumbled forward away from his grasp. Kari's impulsive chatter was muffled in my ears, blocked out by my pulsing heart. We were moving away quickly, and it felt weird to leave him like that; standing with that dazed expression, while the others tried to call out to him and bring him back to life. He didn't sit down.

_You are his new high…_

I didn't stop staring when the door to the kitchen blocked out the cafeteria.

_Because he…_

Banging kitchen pans and sizzling food brought me awake when I was dragged to a pot of boiling green mush that smelled an awful lot like split-pea soup. I pinched my nose shut.

"Sorry for the smell, but we need your opinion on a few things." A familiar blonde girl appeared from behind the counter, wearing a stained-white apron. She looked down at the soup with a puzzled face, waving a hand in front of her nose. "Kari, what is _that_?"

"Split pea!" she said happily, and, sticking a flour-covered finger into the pot, tasted the bubbling mess. My gag reflexes acted up and I turned away as she "mmmmm!"ed.

"Well throw it out. We're not having soup tonight." She said, and handed Kari a couple of pot holders. The red-head was crushed and looked pleadingly at Kyara.

"But but… I worked _2 hours_ on making this perfect!" she wined, hoping she would change her mind. Kyara shook her head.

"Sorry Kari. The flower girl is vegetarian and that has little ham bits in there." she pointed inside the pot to some burnt brown-looking chunks. Kari sighed and picked up the pot, bringing it out towards the door. Kyara turned to me.

"Alright, so Rose, we need your opinion on something." she said and led me deeper into the kitchen, where more smells met my nose- more pleasant than Kari's science experiment, but still not appetizing. We stopped by a couple of sampling plates where food I had never seen before sat on a couple of plates. "We need you to taste them and tell us what order they should go in for the courses."

"Courses? The cooks here can hardly do _one _decentmeal…"

"Well, Rose, why do you think I'm in an apron?" she stepped back, pointing to the apron she was wearing. I shrugged, and she looked at me awkwardly. "Is that Kari's dress?" a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and I began to blush again.

"Mhm…" I put my hands in front of the dress, feeling like a cheery little fool.

"You look pretty Rose." She said, and took my hand, twirling me around. My hand pulled away though. "What? I'm not just saying that!"

"I-I know…" I mumbled, hoping she would recognize what was going on. Kyara looked at me.

"Oh… well, if you don't like it, you can always borrow some of my clothes." She said kindly, and I felt myself brighten at her offer.

"Anyways, I need you to taste these meals and help me out in the kitchen." She said, and picked up a plate of jiggling- yes, _jiggling_- turkey. "Try this tofurkey first. So what do you think?"

------------------------------------------

It was 6:30 PM, and I finally was released from the kitchen to get ready. All day was "taste this", "check this", "hand me that". My stomach had been sick since the first few hours, so I was glad to go back to my room, where nobody could bother me. I locked the door just in case.

The ripped jeans and black halter I had picked out from Kyara's wardrobe weren't the best, but they were an improvement considering the revolting outfit I had worn earlier that day.

I slowly slid the clothes on after an ice-cold shower and a good few minutes of thinking. It definitely wasn't a mood I was enjoying, as I felt the whole world was turning upside-down and I was the only one who wasn't falling.

6:45. Almost time.

I sat on the bed again, resuming my thinking, which is what I did for the next 10 minutes.

6:55. I heard a knock on the door.

Opening it, Havoc stood at the doorway. He rushed in without asking and grabbed my shoulders again. I didn't have time to react to this.

"Who is coming?!" he said as he entered. This time, he was too frantic to have the feeling like down in the cafeteria. Especially since I was in a horribly pouty mood.

"They still haven't told you?" I questioned. I was hoping they would tell him before the two arrived, but my luck just wasn't the same those days.

"They only say 'it's a surprise!' and giggle off into the kitchen again!" he said, letting his hands fall to his side with exasperation. I shrugged.

"It's a surprise."

He glared at me.

"They'll be here in five- no wait, four minutes." I said, pointing to the clock that now read 6:56. "Can't you hang on till then?"

"No."

"Well, it's settled then" I said, moving aside him and moving into the hall. The door closed behind me, and Havoc stepped in front of my path. I looked at the wall, refusing to make eye-contact.

"Please?" he pleaded, and I shook my head. Deep deep down, a part of me was enjoying torturing him.

"They're probably down there right now."

I expected this comment to move him along, convince him that I had won the argument, but he didn't; instead, his head bent down, trying to catch my eye and make me look at him. I stepped back, feeling my face flush. He wanted the information from _me_…

"I'm not too good with surprises." Havoc said low, afraid that if any soldiers were walking along the halls could hear him.

"Well, you certainly will get a kick out of this one." I said, and attempting to step around him once again. His feet moved with the same movement as mine, blocking my path again.

"Rose, I need you to tell me: did you meet a girl named Grace at the flower shop and invite her here to dinner?"

_He does know. It's completely obvious. But why is he still her, pestering me?_

I, making the boldest move I had ever made, placed a hand on his strong arm and lightly moved him aside so I could walk. He was too confused to react.

"You'll just have to wait."

**Fin. Bwaha. After this next chapter is a big one, so I might not get that one done today, but it will most likely be soon. Very soon. Rate if you wish. **


	20. Chapter 20: Dinner

**Well, here it is. Nothing to say. **

Chapter 20

He had followed me into the elevator with silence and slowly made our way down the hall to the cafeteria. As the continuous grey walls passed us, I felt my adrenaline pumping madly through my body. We turned a corner, and there were the doors.

I slowed down just a bit, closing and reopening my eyes to assure self-control.

_Step… step… step…_

Iwas at the door, staring at the small cracks around the handle. I reached for it, almost touching the smudged metal, when Havoc grabbed my hand. I looked down as he raised it a bit, looking carefully.

"You're shaking." He whispered. Sure enough, my hand was quavering in his, and I felt a shiver travel up my spine. But I wouldn't let it weaken me, not like earlier today. I shook my head and pushed the doors open with the other hand before Havoc wasn't able to finish a sentence.

"Rose, I don't see why you won't tell-"

And there they were. Their chairs instantly scooted out as we went through the creaking doorway, startled and excited at the awaited appearances. For a moment, I felt like I was a celebrity; until I remembered it wasn't me who they were waiting for.

Kyara looked adorable in a small black dress with her hair in a ponytail, as did Kari in her pink sundress (she had a thing for sundresses). Roy was next to her, smirking in a black button-down T-shirt and jeans.

Our guests stood next to him.

Grace looked prettier than she did at the flower shop. Her hair was tied low in a pink ribbon that matched her slim-yet-innocent dress. Her eyes brightened as soon as she found them on the person behind me, her eyelashes fluttering up and revealing that remarkable glow she tended to give off when happy. Next to her, Tara was in a (of course) black dress and gothic makeup, and after looking at Havoc, began whispering into Grace's ear. What she had said to her made her sad, for her smile soon faded as her eyes looked down. I looked down on my shirt, on my pants, anything, but I couldn't see anything for them to whisper about that could make her droop like that.

Then I noticed Havoc was still holding my hand.

I quickly pulled away, looking at Kyara for guidance, my hand suddenly cold with lost warmth. She simply smiled bigger, giving me that "I know it wasn't an accident" look, but I shook my head vigorously. Grace probably hated me right now, so I decided not to dig a deeper hole and step forward.

"Hi there!" I said as cheerily as I could manage without yelling, and stepped up to the table. "Well, welcome to Head Quarters!" She must have thought I was crazy, considering yesterday when I met her I didn't even have the courage to shake her hand.

Havoc wasn't behind me, I could sense. I slowly looked over in his direction, and wasn't able to keep my smile.

He was staring at her with the most unreadable expression, his eyes wide with disbelief and… some small shine in them, like an old memory replaying in his mind. I could stare into them now, now that they weren't staring into mine. I could see him, Jean Havoc, staring into this other girl's eyes with confused longing. His hand holding mine seemed like ages ago.

I looked to the flower girl with a look almost identical, but a little happier, as if the memory was a good one. Then, I did something I would never do if I was completely sane.

"Grace! Tara! It's wonderful to see you again." I faked. Grace didn't bother to look away from Havoc, but Tara replied.

"Yup. We're starved. Right, Grace?" she turned to her friend. Once again, the dazzling girl was too transfixed in Havoc's gaze and would not speak to her friend, but after a few small nudges and one sharp, painful-looking jab in the stomach she got her attention. Havoc cleared his throat softly behind me as the annoyed flower girl frowned at her spunky partner.

"Havoc, Rose, please join us. The food should be here soon." Roy intervened to break the awkward arrival. I nodded and walked to the table, hearing Havoc's feet shuffle over to the table as well. I pulled out my own seat and sat down next to Kyara, while he slumped into the chair beside me.

That was only the beginning.

----------------

Things only got worse from there on.

It was annoying enough to see them stealing glances at each other every 5 seconds, adding no comment to the conversations, and their rosy cheeks, but the worst thought of all was that Havoc didn't hear a word I would say to him.

"Havoc, please pass the potatoes" I asked in the middle of dinner. He didn't seem to notice my speaking, as he only continued to stare into space and over at Grace. I asked again a little louder.

"Havoc…"

He blinked, but didn't look, so I kicked his shin as hard as I could.

That definitely caught his attention, as well as Grace's, who looked over at Havoc when he hissed a curse under his breath, staring angrily at me as I took a bite of revolting tofurkey.

"Havoc? Is something the matter?" She looked worryingly in his direction. He snapped his head over immediately and shook his head, the scowl gone.

"No. not at all."

Dinner was finally finished 10 minutes later when Roy stood up and began gathering dishes to take to the kitchen. The rest of us followed, all except for Grace, Tara, and Havoc. As I took the empty tofurkey tray to the door, I looked back, noticing he wasn't being polite and cleaning up. I was about to go scold him, but a hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Don't worry about him. He needs this." Roy's deep voice rumbled softly from his mouth. I looked back, and there was a smirk, but it wasn't meant to be one. He was trying to just smile without looking crude. It made me wonder what happened between Havoc and Grace.

But…why wasn't Roy questioning me like he normally did? It was as if I wasn't suspicious anymore. Was their something changing about me that made him act this way? If so, I had no idea what it was, but it was affecting everybody else too.

I bowed my head and pushed through the door where Kyara and Kari were busy washing dishes. I placed my dish in the sink and watched the bubbles fly up at our faces. One popped on Kari's nose and she squealed with joy. As I was heading out the door Kyara stopped me.

"Hey, we could use two more hands." She said, and held up a pair of rubber gloves with a soapy hand. There was no reason to object, so I slipped them on and began rinsing. "Well, I would say tonight was… interesting."

"Yeah… Havoc had that look on his face."

"I saw it too. And what was with that scowl he gave you Rose?"

I set a clean dish in her hand and shrugged. "I don't know. Like you said, he's been acting weird lately."

"Wow… getting mad at people for no apparent reason… how anger management." Kari said while scrubbing hard at an uneaten plate. Kyara looked at me from the side as she whipped off a dish, as if noticing something's up. All the sudden something dawned on me.

"Kyara, where has Ed been?"

I had no idea the question would shake her as much as it did, for she looked down and went silent. Kari and I stopped doing the dishes all together. She stretched out her hand impatiently, still looking away.

"Hand me another plate." She mumbled.

"How long has he been away? And why?"

"Hand me another plate!" her voice silenced the room, creating an uneasy stillness. I shook my head slowly.

"You'll feel better if you tell us."

Her lip trembled as she slowly set down the towel and moved away from the sink. I could see her eyes glistening with tears ready to drip down her cheek. I put a hand on her shoulder and she fell towards me. I took a step back, surprised, and her arms wrapped around my shoulders as she began sobbing. Kari walked around me and put a hand on her back, so I followed her example and did the same, not knowing how to react. I felt her hot tears soak through my shirt.

"I don't know… he just left…" I could make out through her muffled sobs that began to soak my sleeve. I looked at Kari, asking with my eyes what I should do. She shrugged and rubbed Kyara's back, trying to calm her down. A sigh expelled from my lungs and I finally thought up something to say.

"I'm sure he wouldn't leave without ever coming back… so maybe if you just give him time, he'll be back soon."

The sobs softened as she lifted her head from my shoulder. I took a dry towel from the counter and wiped away the tears on her face, and while doing so, felt so… weird. It was the most peculiar sensation as I helped her, my best friend, and told her to calm down… like some sort of… caring person. I didn't know who exactly would act like this… but for some reason I felt sad thinking of this.

I had never had somebody comfort _me _like this before. Maybe that was why.

A small smile came across her face, so slight it was barely noticeable, but just noticeable enough to summon my own lips into a smile. She nodded her head and stepped back, mouthing a thank you as she left the room.

"Well… let's go back out to check for more dishes."

I followed Kari outside the opposite door, finding no more dirty dishes at the table, except for Roy, who had his head in his palms and was staring into a flickering candlelight. I thought for sure I could hear Kari's heart rate increase tremendously as she looked at the light reflecting in the boy's eyes. As the door slammed behind us, his head turned to our direction.

"No more dishes for you two ladies." He smiled and scooted away from the table.

"Where's lover boy?" Kari said with a breathy voice. He stood up.

"Went up to his room right after our guests left. Don't know what his problem is…" he said, and for a split second, his eyes shifted from both of us to just me. For that short moment, I felt a huge wave travel up and down my arms, an invisible force that left goose bumps prickling my skin. My hands were burning.

It wasn't the feeling Havoc gave me, but the same nervousness was there.

"Oh!" He turned, looking over at the chair where a brown fleece jacket was hanging on a chair. His feet carried him smoothly across the room to the chair and his large hands lifted up the clothing. "It seems our guests have left something. Maybe I'll go ask Havoc to return it to them…" He looked over in the door's direction and with the first step towards it, I fell right into the palm of his hands.

"I'll take it to them." I said, and rushed over behind the table where he stood looking at me without any surprise. I snatched it from his hands and walked to the doors outside.

**Yup. Next chap. Soon, including the ones after(hopefully). **


	21. Chapter 21: Surpsise in the alley

**Yup yup! Now here is a chapter I had mucho fun writing. I just hope it turned out ok, and people aren't like "uh, what?". Well, it is kinda supposed to be a bit confusing and like "holy Shizit!!" , if you do think so. Yeah. I'll shut up and let you read it nowXD. **

Chapter 21

When I got outside I realized how foolish I was for doing this.

The cold wind sent my hair flying as I sped down the street. As I passed a dumpster, I was almost tempted to put the ugly piece of clothing I held inside it.

But I didn't, and kept walking. I would have to talk to her sooner or later.

The streets were deserted, since all the usual traffic at night occurred on the weekend, and today was Tuesday. It was only me and the leaves dancing around my feet, our figures silhouetted on the street beside us from the flickering streetlamps. All the shops had closed now, their day-lit cheeriness hollow and dark in the night, the moon reflecting off their windowpanes hauntingly. Central was a ghost town during the night.

The street came to a slope upwards where I was supposed to turn into an alleyway. I slowly turned to the right and faced the alleyway across the street; it was completely shrouded with darkness, just how I feared. So dark I couldn't see where it ended onto the other street. I took in a cutting breath of chilled air and crossed the abandoned street, standing in front of the darkness. I had to close my eyes as I entered.

The air around me was cold and damp, and I could smell the mold stained on the walls. I refused to open my eyes, dreading I might find a pair of demonic eyes in front of me. Thinking of this, I quickened my pace.

_Faster… faster… just make it out. Get it over with. _I began jogging. My footsteps suddenly sounded like 2 sets of feet; somebody must have been following me. I sprinted, finally opening my eyes, sweat drops stinging them. I was on the side-walk, clutching the jacket so tight my knuckles were white. My heart finally fluttered down to a calmer pace, and I resumed walking.

It seemed like seconds before I was directly in front of the flower shop. The plants were dark and colorless now, swaying like ghosts in the shadows, and hiding whatever was following me in the alleyway. I ignored the cowering Rose inside me and walked over to the door.

I stopped in front of the window, seeing small dots of light flickering inside the shop. I looked behind to check if it was somebody's eyes behind me, but nothing but the lonesome street was there. I turned back and pressed my nose against the glass.

A small humming noise was heard inside, and I spotted two girls sitting in a circle of candles, illuminating their faces with an eerie glow. Tara and Grace. I squinted for a better look, and suddenly noticed the humming had stopped. At first I thought that I had been spotted, but Tara's mouth opened to speak.

_"naneth en ore… bien aranel…hiril en meleth… nu Lîn bein, Gûl… Sîr Hem meleth uneth Nîn mellones ore… Aina aranel en meleth! Sieth Lîn linnod en meleth!!!" _

If they were to look right then through the window, they would see how puzzled I looked. _What language is that?_ I decided it wasn't about the sweatshirt anymore. I was too interested in their little… ritual. More words were spoken by the Goth, but I could not understand them.

_"Mother of heart…Beautiful Princess… Lady of Love…under my beautiful, magic…Stream his love upon my friends heart…holy goddess of love!! Sing your song of love!" _

I took a step back, beginning to feel queasy at what they said. A love spell for Grace. It sounded foolish, yet… I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated.

I dropped the sweatshirt next to the door and walked away, the sound of their trance replaying in my mind unconsciously. I heard their singing fill the air as I sped off towards the alleyway again.

It began getting softer and more distant, until I finally turned the corner and it disappeared all together. I felt alone again, and saw the alleyway. It was there, waiting for me. Waiting for me to go through it again. This time I wouldn't be as afraid, though. This time, I was ready for the darkness.

But as I walked through, I didn't feel alone. I could feel my skin prickling at the sense of another person's breathing, soft and swift like the breeze that had stopped around me. I began running instantly, and after running into something in my path, I figured out where the breathing was coming from.

I was going to surrender to the slippery stones of the passage, but their hands grabbed my shoulders tightly and held me steady. I became frantic, assuming this person was a kidnapper… or something worse.

It wasn't a millisecond before I began struggling against their grip, pushing them away. But I couldn't. Their grip was like iron cuffs, their feet like magnets that stepped forward whenever I stepped back. But the more I struggled, the closer they got; I ended up against the wall, held there by their unyielding hold on both my body and state of mind. I wanted to scream out, have my voice be carried all over the city, be saved; but all that came out were small whimpers. What was wrong with me?!

I had never been in a situation like this where I was the one surprised. I was always the on to do the surprising, completely aware of what was going on. I didn't have enough time to react against the person's strength. This person was not scrawny, nor were they short. An image of a large brute came into mind, tall and dark, sent by somebody who wished to kill me, and as his body moved to crush my legs against the wall his foot stomped onto mine. A deafening, restrained scream finally cut loose through my body.

Instantaneously, my captor's hand shot to my mouth, pressing down hard. Though it cut off most of the volume, it was still audible.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" I heard them hiss loudly next to my ear. No warnings, though, would stop me from my fit, and I didn't stop throwing my lungs out.

And suddenly… I stopped. My face was burning up at the same rate my heart was pumping. I stopped struggling.

Their hand had left my mouth, and was replaced with a pair of lips.

My muscles were completely immobile now. My lungs weren't working, but I could feel another chest moving in and out steadily, connected to the warm breath above the top of my lip. Their breathing was deep and strong, like the lips that pressed forcefully against mine. Time was stopped dead in its tracks, silent with the beating and breathing pounding in my head. A drum was playing in my head, hard, pulsing through my nerves.

It was a male. I had no doubt.

His lips weren't leaving, as I knew they wouldn't until I loosened my straining muscles. I realized I was being kissed by a complete stranger, and turned my head to the side. Surprisingly, he did not try to keep my lips to his, like any molester would. The thing that got me, though, was when his lips remained in the same spot, lingering there lightly upon my cheek, warm breath prickling my skin as it stroked across my hot face.

It was as if he were too surprised to move.

One of his hands finally grabbed my left wrist, and his fingers pressed something into my palm.

Almost as quickly as I bumped into him, he had let go of me and began down the alleyway again. Not even his footsteps were heard through the dead silence in the dark alleyway.

----------------

I couldn't feel the ground under my feet as I sprinted down the alley. He had gone to the right, but I couldn't see him in sight as I reached the street. But before it was time to search the city, I had to check HQ.

With the new adrenaline rush, it was easy to climb up the wall; my mind was in a cloud, though.

I didn't understand though. What had made that person kiss me? Was it really necessary to shut me up, or did they do it for some… unknown reason? Obviously they weren't child molesters, considering he didn't… well, molest me.

But there was a more important question.

Who was he?!

Just to humor myself, I headed towards the window next to mine. His curtains were open, so I peered in.

Sure enough, there he was, laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. The only thing that made me blush about that though was the fact he was shirtless.

A perfectly toned body; no wonder it hadn't been any trouble to lift me. It took a moment for me to notice I was staring, so I quickly looked away towards the door.

He couldn't have been as fast as me, could he? I had never seen him run before.

_Foolish me…_ I thought to myself. It wasn't him.

_It's all in my head…_

I looked back to him, but made sure it was his face that caught my eye first, and not his outstanding abs. He was expressionless.

Still, I began to feel something burning in the pit of my stomach that I got often when I looked at him from afar. I took note of the color of his ice blue eyes, looking at the ceiling with a slightly wrinkled brow, as if sorting out the troubled thoughts in his head.

I was staring again.

I had to close my eyes for a moment.

_God… what is up with me?... Why am I…_

I heard him stir and quickly flattened against the wall, taking my head from the window. I counted to ten and he finally lay silent. Taking a cautious glance inside, I saw he had gotten under the covers and rested on his side towards the window. His eyes were closed now, trying to get rest. A peaceful face, calm. It felt like a sin just to look at it.

_You have done this to him… you are his new high…_

Quickly, when I realized my heart had skipped a couple beats, I tore myself from the window and swung into my own room. My bed was cold when I crawled under the covers. Thoughts of the alley-way popped into my mind again, and I began to think I had missed something.

The thing the boy had given me. It was a piece of folded up paper, a letter. I quickly threw back the covers and found to my delight it was still in my pocket.

With shaking hands, I opened it under the light of my night stand. The words were cut out of newspaper clippings, so I would have no idea who wrote it.

And there they were. The words that answered life-long question. I could feel my mouth opening with ultimate shock.

_**YoUr ParEntS aRE sTiLL ALIVe**_

--------------------

**CLIFFIE. Sort of. Not really. Lol. But uuuuh yeah. It was soo fun to write this chapter, y'all have no idea. I hope you guys like it as much as I did. And thank you to those who gave me comments on 20, they made my day! Gaah. Review if ya liked it, or, uh, I guess if you didn't sure why not. **


	22. Chapter 22: uncovered tracks

**Ok so I was just reading some of the previous chapters, like chapter three and stuff, and I noticed how FLUFFY THEY WERE! My god were they fluffy, much too fluffy for me anyways. Gah. I'm not sure if you all like that much fluffiness but I sure didn't like it. lol. I gag at that obvious fluffiness. But wow. Then I looked back at when I had edited out some of the fluffiness to make it bearable and I felt better. Haha. I'm not sure if I should replace the old chapters, same story, but a more recent writing style(less fluffy, more realistic) chapters, or keep it the way it is and let people who are picky about that be tortured. XD. If you have an opinion on the matter, I would really appreciate hearing it. Thankyas!**

Chapter 22

I was free.

I was free of him. Greed. I couldn't have been happier in my entire life. The only reason I had stayed with him was to learn more about my parents.

Now, I knew enough to go on by myself.

That night I couldn't sleep. I could only think about my parents; what they looked like, what their personalities were like, if they were good or evil. I wondered if my mother was beautiful, if my father was hansom, and how much they really loved each other.

But Another, scarier question kept me from getting too excited.

Did they know I was still alive?

Eventually, the exhaustion dragged my eyelids down and I fell asleep.

-------------------------

It was different getting up in the morning now. I took my time rubbing my eyes and slid the covers off slowly. There was no rush, nothing to do. And most of all, I didn't feel like a trespasser anymore.

I wasn't an assassin, after all.

And then, there was always this other negative hunch inside that never went away. I didn't know what it was, but it kept me from ever being perfectly content. Life was never perfect for me, and I was used to it.

When everything seemed perfect and happy, I knew something was wrong.

Perhaps I was just being paranoid, the way I always had been. You could never rest in the job I had.

But it was more than just fear that plagued at the back of my mind.

Still, I kept all those negative thoughts right back there where I believed they should belong. To my delight, I found some new clothes draped over the desk chair: a black cami with a small red bow, ripped pants, and black flats. I put them on after a quick shower, and put my long hair up in a nice-looking ponytail. I even took the time to examine myself in the mirror for a few seconds before heading downstairs.

When entering the cafeteria, I found the number of soldiers back to normal. All the tables were crowded. I assumed Kari and Kyara were around somewhere, so I walked down the middle hall to the cafeteria.

As I walked, I couldn't help but notice some soldiers here and there glaring at me from behind their friends. Some of them looked at me, and then whispered to their friends, who also noticed. I tried hard to ignore their rude staring, but more and more began falling to the popular trend.

I couldn't take it anymore, so halfway to the kitchen I turned to the right to walk on the outside aisle of the cafeteria, were I wasn't in the center of attention.

For some reason, that seemed to make more complications. 3 grungy looking soldiers stood a few feet in front of me. Their sleeves were pushed up and their arms crossed about their chests. I looked up to their faces and noticed them staring at me like the rest.

I quickly looked over at the wall as I came up, avoiding eye contact. We were only a foot apart now, and they still hadn't moved. I was forced to a stop, and cleared my throat.

"Excuse me…" I said softly. Still no budge. There was no other choice. I turned around to retrace my steps, but one of them grabbed my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said, yanking me around and putting his face a few inches from mine. I tried to yank my wrist away, but it was tight. It was impossible not to look at his face when it was so close.

"Why don'cha stay and eat with us?" A person behind him sneered, and before I knew it I was forced down on the bench between two other guys. They instantly grabbed my arms, and that was when I knew they wanted trouble.

"Let go of me…" I warned darkly and a couple of them chuckled.

"Why don't you tell us why you're here first? Then we'll let you go." Their hands tightened to the point it was painful, and I began to struggle a bit. I could feel through the pain their calloused hands, fighting hands. I heard two soldiers climb up on the table behind me, and the three who blocked my way bent down to my eye level.

I was surrounded.

There was no way to look away now, and I saw their faces with sinister grins. Two of them had red-sunburned skin and scars on their faces. The other one in the middle was much bigger with slitting eyes and a big-round nose. He was definitely the leader of the little posse around me.

It was obvious these people had planned our little confrontation before I entered the cafeteria.

"So tell us" he said, "why is there no reason for us to suspect you as a threat, wandering here around HQ as if you owned the place?" He leaned in closer. "The rest of us here are working are asses off while you just walk around here like you own the place. Why are _you _so special, huh?"

Suddenly, before I could even think about the consequences, my instincts kicked in.

"This is why", I said, and, with my legs free, kicked with perfect aim to his groin area. I watched his eyeballs practically pop out of their sockets, his veins about to burst from his neck. The fool groaned with pain and astonishment, swaying back and forth. The two holding my arms pulled me back against the table as the injured buffoon collapsed to the floor. The other two squatting above me forced my shoulders onto the table, my head painfully taken down with them with a loud _thump_. I opened my eyes through the throbbing in the back of my head and saw stars dancing around the angry faces surrounding me. The dizziness was too overwhelming for me to get nervous. I felt a warm, fierce breath close to my ear from behind.

"You think you're tuff, huh? You think everybody will go easy on you because you're a girl?"

By this time everybody in the cafeteria was silent, and although I couldn't see their faces I could feel them staring at the scene I had created. I could tell that the people holding me against the table were enjoying the attention. What pissed me off the most, though, was that nobody was doing anything about this.

"Well, answer me! I asked you a question!" the voice pounded in my ear and throughout the cafeteria. His hands grasped harder as he shook my shoulders.

Surprisingly, through all the commotion and pain, I found my mind in another place. Ever since last night my head was in the clouds, as well as my self control. Although this event had certainly squashed my perfect day, I wasn't in a mood to fight.

A voice at the back of my head said it wasn't necessary to survive by bloodshed.

I liked that voice.

I was almost about to answer their question with a spur-of-the-moment answer, until I heard the cafeteria doors slam open.

"What's going on in here!" A woman's voice boomed into the cafeteria. I heard footsteps approaching and the men's hands loosening my hold. I decided to carefully get up, until the nagging bump on the back of my skull stopped me from moving any inch of my body. I waited until the woman's heels reached our table.

"What are you waiting for, everyone, back to your post! Breakfast is over!" she announced to all the soldiers, and the gang around me began to leave.

"But not you five. You all are going to the colonels' office for a little talk."

I heard them pause a moment before they headed off with the rest of the soldiers. I decided it was safe to move, but as I began to lift my head, a searing pain flooded around it. The woman stepped over and put a hand underneath to cushion the table.

"Easy there. Up ya go." She said calmly as she lifted my head from the hard surface. A sudden wave of nausea spread over my body as her hand touched the tender bump and I wailed in pain. She breathed in through her teeth.

"Hang in there. The nurse is right down the hall… and don't worry about those soldiers, you won't need to worry about seeing them around here anymore."

Her words were muffled and painful to hear; all I could see was the blurry head of a blond female holding up a hand.

"How many fingers are there?"

It was impossible to tell.

"… fingers?... I can't…"

And then, my vision went completely dark.

------------------------

The first sense I could recall was a stinging scent in my nose, very much like rubbing alcohol. I could feel my nose scrunch up as I coughed a few times, as I made effort to get the horrible odor out of my system. With no luck, I opened my eyes with surprising ease to find I was laying sideways on one of the hospital beds. I turned to lay on my back, but the bump on the back of my head quickly reminded me of what happened before the blackout.

Very slowly, I sat up right. A light-headed feeling tingled behind my eyes as I was getting onto my feet. The door opened just in time as I felt about to collapse, and a pair of hands grabbed my arms and helped me sit on the bed again.

"Didn't I tell you to take it easy?" The woman who helped me before sat on the bed, keeping a hand on my shoulder to steady me. When I stopped swaying, she let it drop to her lap with a sigh. "That sure is some bump you have there."

My eyes finally cleared and I turned to look at her. She looked like a very strong woman, with her blonde hair up in a messy bun and stern, light-brown eyes. Yet, she had a military outfit on. I had never really seen any women in the military.

"Oh, it looks like you don't know me yet. First Lieutenant Hawkeye, at your service." She said, extending her hand. "You probably haven't seen me before, since I haven't seen you." I took her hand with caution. "I've been away on a mission for a couple months. I hope Roy hasn't been pestering you too much…"

"Not recently…" I said quietly. She didn't seem all that bad.

"Well, I should go check on those soldiers. Sorry they hurt you…" she said and exited the room.

I breathed out slowly in the quiet room, hearing the clock on the far wall ticking loudly. A line of white beds stretched down the hall, a few casted soldiers sprawled here and there taking a nap. I looked behind me, and saw the door out to the hallway. After tenderly feeling the back of my head, where the bump had finally began to go down a bit, I got up and reached for the door.

It opened and smacked me right in front of the face.

"Oh my gosh I'm so- …Rose!!" Kari quickly entered and helped me up from the ground. My headache had doubled with a new injury, and I could feel my nose dripping. I took my finger and touched the tip, bringing it up to my eyes. Blood.

"I am soooo sorry! It was a complete accident! They really need windows on this thing! I mean- oh goodness, you're bleeding!" Captain obvious exclaimed.

"Kari, quit blocking the door!" I heard Kyara from a small crack in the door. "What happened in there?"

"I'll be right back!" she said as she set me on one of the beds. Blood was filling up the hand I had cuffed over my nose.

"Oh jesus, Kari, you can't just swing that door open!" Kyara said as she bounced onto the bed. "The nurse told you!"

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" I heard her pattering down the hall. I could see crimson splatters on the ripped jeans, and I cursed.

"Great, now you have two injuries… we heard what happened." The blonde sympathized as she grabbed a white cotton blanket from the top of the bed and handing it to me. I took it and quickly wrapped it around my nose, pinching tightly to stop the blood flow.

"They can always wash this blanket… so who were those jerks, anyways? Lemme see the bump…"

"OW!" my cry muffled from the blanket quickly took her hand away from my head.

"Shit, sorry… what ass-holes. Forget whatever they said to you…"

How did she know what they said to me?

"I'm coming!!!" I heard Kari slam the door behind her. In a few seconds she had reached us with a bundle of paper towels in her arms.

"You really don't have to do this…"

"Oh shush. I'm going to be a nurse one day, so I might as well get some practice!" she chided. I closed my eyes as she took away the blanket and stuffed two rolled up tissues into my nose.

"Right now, Kari's an apprentice to the head nurse here. She is here helping out the patients whenever the nurses are out on their breaks or just feel like making her practice. Cooking didn't work to well for her…"

"Hey!" Kari began, but Kyara cut her off.

"I'm working in the cafeteria, serving the soldiers and such. Perhaps you should get a job, Rose… maybe that's why those boys were picking on you."

A light bulb came on in my head. That would definitely work to keep myself busy!

"Ok but… what should I do?"

"Well, what are you good at?" Kari asked, sitting beside me on the other side.

_Well, let's see… killing, hurting, and pain… _

"I don't know, nothing really." I lied.

"Hmm… what about helping me dish out meals in the cafeteria?" Kyara offered. I thought about it for a moment. If I do that, I might make myself more susceptible to attacks, like with that gang of boys… and, then again, it would show them I was there for a reason.

"That sounds fine, I guess." I shrugged. Kyara clapped her hands together.

"Great! Let's go then!"

-------------------------

_CRASH!!!_

"Dammit…" I hissed as I quickly began picking up the broken remnants of a once existing glass platter, collecting them in my hand. Kyara peeked her head out from behind a hanging pot.

"What was that?!" she yelled over the other cooks in the kitchen.

"I need a refill on chicken strips… and a chicken strip platter." I said, picking up the last big pieces.

"Coming right up." She answered, and disappeared.

I sighed, scooping up some smaller bits and walking outside to the dumpster.

Internally plugging my nose, I walked over to the large dumpster as the loud crashes from the kitchen were masked by the closing door.

I began pouring the glass into the extremely pungent trash load when something caught my eye.

I picked up the magazine in the trash and flipped through the first couple pages. Suddenly, something caught my eye.

I turned back two pages to see some letters cut out. I could feel butterflies in my stomach as I flipped a couple more pages. More words cut out.

Whoever had given me the letter forgot to completely covered their tracks…

And it was someone in HQ.

**Well, I suppose that is all for now. Another chapter should come up fairly soon, once I figure out exactly what I want to happen in it. And I assure you if I replace some better chapters for the more immature written chapters up on here it would not change the story. Please review, I like to know how I am doing. : )**


	23. Chapter 23: Mysterious message

**Goodness…. It's been a while hasn't it? lol… well this is kinda a short chapter but I didn't wanna put off putting it up any longer and I've gotten reviews recently on my story so it's given me inspiration to keep going. I haven't had that much time to write but I'm going to try to continue this story. I'm hoping more will be up soon. Sorry for the wait you guys…**

Chapter 23

I could feel the adrenaline rushing to my head, pulsing through every vein. The magazine fell through my fingers and back into the dumpster as I put the back of hand to my forehead, which was burning like a furnace.

_Just a funny coincidence… yes, just a coincidence…_

I shook my head and put my hand on the door handle, but I didn't push it open. After standing a couple seconds, I walked back to the dumpster and put the magazine in my apron pocket.

"Hey Rose, we're done cooking lunch, so go ahead and take a break. Dinner making starts at five, so you have some hours to yourself." Kyara told me when I entered the kitchen. I nodded walked towards the door to the cafeteria.

"Oh, and don't forget to hang up your apron!"

"Right!" I said, already untying the strings.

---------------------

Once I was back in my room I didn't know what to do. I thought of going back down to the kitchen to help clean up lunch. Then I decided Kyara was probably finished already. I suddenly remembered I could take another look at the magazine I found in the dumpster, but I had left it in my apron…

Which was hanging in the kitchen.

The thought of having to go all the way back down to the kitchen again tired me. I decided a short little nap was in need, and that I could worry about the magazine later.

When I went back down to the kitchen after a very long nap, Kyara and Kari were standing in the doorway. I asked them what was wrong and they didn't say anything, obviously in a state of shock.

"Kyara, what's wrong?" I asked again, and she moved aside a couple inches, just enough for me to peer over their shoulders. I gasped.

The place had been completely wrecked. Pots and pans were strewn over the floor, egg whites dripped down walls, cabinet doors were open and emptied of all contents, and flour bags lay empty near piles of its empty contents. It looked as if a tornado had come and gone in a matter of minutes. But it wasn't until I saw the fear stricken face on Kari that I noticed what they were really looking at.

Some feathers were strewn beneath an empty wall, where in what looked like chickens blood was written something that made my stomach lurch.

YoU WiLl PaY

What was more, when I looked over to where my apron hung, caked in broken egg shells and yokes, I saw that the magazine was gone.

"Who would do such a thing…" Kyara said under her breath. "We never did anything…"

"What d-do the people who v-vandalized this place think we've done? I know I'VE l-lived a life of morality and t-truthfulness… and I c-can't seem to th-think of any reason why anybody would b-be after ME…" Kari said under tears. She sniffled and cautiously shuffled inside, picking up her apron that lay crumpled on the ground, soggy from a puddle of spilt canola oil. _"What have I done?!?"_

"I don't think this has to do with you…" Kyara said, her voice a little more strong. She turned towards me. "Rose, do you have any idea why this happened?"

"No!" I said almost instantly, shaking my head, although there was some feeling of guilt inside me that ragged on my conscience. They had taken the magazine… that had something to do with me… but _WHY_ had they taken it? Could the person who took the magazine also had written on the wall? Could they know I'm trying to find out who that person was in the alleyway that had given me that mysterious letter?

"Okay, well, I trust you…" she said, turning back to the doorway and taking a step inside. "Whoever did this was probably just playing a prank on us… just a silly prank to scare us for fun…"

I took no comfort from this comment; I knew it was no coincidence.

The message on the wall was for me.

"Well, lets start cleaning this place up." Kyara said as she walked over to the broom closet, which was the only door that wasn't open and empty of it's things. She pulled out a mop and gave it to Kari, who had set her slimy apron in the sink and took the mop drearily. Then she took out a broom for herself and handed me a pail with rusty handles and a moth-eaten rag.

"Lets start by cleaning up this floor and looking for anything still in tact or sealed in containers…"

----------------------

An hour and a half later, the place looked much better. There were very few things we could save, and the magazine was no where to be found. Kyara wiped the sweat beading on her forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh, as she set the broom against the counter.

"Well, we're done… but unfortunately, not one meal has been cooked and there is a cafeteria packed with hungry soldiers out there…"

"I think we should just call in a couple dozen pizzas." Kari suggested. Kyara thought a moment.

"Well… I suppose that's an idea. Anything we cook here would have taken a couple hours, and I'm too tired to cook. Those soldiers can wait another hour or two until the pizza arrives."

"I'll go call 'em!" Kari said and hustled off to the nearest phone.

"Whew… Rose, why don't you go take a break. We worked hard enough and you don't need to stay around…"

"Alright." I said. "I'll be back to serve in a little bit though…"

"Don't worry about it. Me and Kari will handle it." She said with a grin, and I turned away. As I reached for the door handle, Kyara said something that made me freeze. "Havoc wouldn't mind having some company, I bet…"

I turned around to look at her again, and her grin had formed into a sly little smirk, her eyebrows waggling up and down. I could feel my stomach to a summersault and shook my head.

"He has his flower shop girl…" I said in a more disappointed tone than I anticipated. Why did she have to bring him up anyways?...

"Yanno, I'm not too sure he's very partial to her… ever since she saw her that night at dinner he has seemed… distant and sad. Like he always has a dazed and confused look on his face." She said with a spark in her eyes. "But then when you come around… it's like-"

"I don't want to know." I interrupted and turned away, hanging up the apron. Then, I felt her hand on my arm and was twisted around. She looked serious.

"Rose… really. Why do you keep doing that? Every time I mention his name, you don't want to talk about him. Now, I know you're confused, because I know love when I see-"

"Do you?" I asked her with force. "You can't possibly know how I feel right now." I said, and watched her serious face stay the same.

"I can try can't I?"

I turned away, wrenching my arm from her clasp. Just as I took a step, the door swung open. There Havoc was, standing in the doorway with a blank expression. Then, as his eyes landed instantly on mine, they turned away towards Kyara. I could almost sense him wondering if we were talking about him as I looked away as well, keeping my composure. There was a couple seconds of awkward silence before he cleared his throat to speak.

"I heard you need some help in the kitchen." His deep voice rang through the silence. Chills were sent up my spine but I did not look at him. I could feel Kyara beaming behind me.

"Yes! We do!" she said, clapping her hands together. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Havoc put on a forced, tight-lipped smile. "As a matter of fact, Rose was just about to put on her apron and get ready to work hard tonight." She said, trying all her might to keep her enthusiasm from exploding.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I looked up at him, inspecting his face. He was looking away from Kyara at this point, his blue eyes transfixed on one spot, as if trying not to look back. Finally, he did glance over, but quickly looked back away. I could feel a led weight drop in my stomach.

"I'm tired." I said with bitterness, watching his eyes drop to the floor. His head tilted towards me slightly, but I brushed past him before he could look at me with those sickeningly beautiful blue eyes again.

**Yeah, I know… "that's all?!". I'm trying lol…. Review pretty please. **


	24. Chapter 24: Kiss of Life

**Whew. Welcome back. Been a while, huh… it's break right now so I'm happy to be writing again. This is a fairly long chapter so I hope it satisfies for a bit. I've already started the second one and hope to get it finished in time before break ends. It's good to be writing this story again. I missed Havoc :(**

Chapter 24

I didn't sleep well that night. In fact, I didn't even sleep a wink. My mind was full to the brim with uncertain thoughts. I was thinking about nothing and everything at the same time, one certain person showing up every time I closed my eyes to fall asleep.

I could just picture him in my room the night he brought me dinner, being comical one moment, and then the next…

I rolled over to my other side for the 37th time (I had been counting in desperation to get the thoughts out of my mind) and tried not to think of the butterflies flitting in my stomach. I did this by thinking of a few hours earlier in the kitchen.

_He couldn't even look at me… I'm sure he doesn't give on thought on me…_

Once again, I couldn't pin-point where these thoughts were coming from. I blushed as I thought of what Kyara might have said if she were reading my mind…

At that moment, I heard a knock on the door. Before I could get up to look through the peep-hole Kyara had come in with a disappointed expression. When she saw me turn my back to her, she let out a sigh.

"Rose…"

I didn't answer. She walked over to the bedside chair and sat down as I tried to pretend to be asleep-even thought it was no use, considering she saw me awake already.

"Rose, you… you can't do this."

Once again I didn't answer, and tried to think of what she meant. I had done absolutely nothing. It took a moment before she gathered enough courage to tell me what she came in to say. She took a deep breath and continued.

"You can't keep avoiding him!... You need to talk to him about it."

I finally sat up and looked at her.

"What are you talking about Kyara?" I said, my voice raised almost to the point of yelling, and Kyara looked towards the wall, shushing me.

"Why are you doing this to him? Don't you think he is a little bit confused as it is? He doesn't need you, of all people, being upset with him!"

The words shot me down like a bullet in the heart. I suddenly felt the guilt as she began accusing me, though I had never realized how serious the situation was before. I let her continue.

"I wish you would see what was happening with you and him…It's unbearable to watch. You have no idea how important you are to each other…"

I winced. Her words ran chills throughout my body. There was a slight pause.

"Why do you even care?" I finally said, the thought spilling into my head at the same time it spilled out of my mouth. It suddenly had occurred to me. I saw her hesitate.

"Well…" She sat back in the chair, thinking for a moment. "Well I… I am trying to be a good friend is all." She said quietly, feeling hurt. I was angered.

"A good friend?! Well, a good friend of mine would never judge my actions as good or bad! A good friend wouldn't but into my life because I would never but into theirs!"

The words were bursting out like a hurricane, and I could see Kyara's face becoming more frightened with each word I said. My anger had gotten hold of my actions once again, and I could not stop. She did not try to quiet me down this time.

"Why do you care so much?! Why must you be so concerned with my life?! I don't even want to talk about Havoc! I wish I never even met him! He has caused more problems in the past few weeks than in my entire life!"

I wasn't even sure if I meant the words I was saying anymore. They had been bottled up inside for so long, and I finally stopped. My breathing had become deep, my muscles tensed. The pain from holding my hands in fists to stop the claws from forming was unbearable. It was a couple seconds before I realized what I had really said, and I felt bad for her. What I had said was terrible.

It was too late though. There was no taking back what I had said about our friendship. Tears began to form in her eyes, and I couldn't watch as she cried. When she spoke, her words were flat and choking.

"All I wanted to do was make you happy… when you came in to our group, I thought I could maybe… save you. I felt pain underneath your smiles."

She sniffled and stood up from the chair. I could feel my own eyes becoming clouded. How could I ever apologize for this?

"Apparently I have failed. I'm sorry."

She left my room quietly, leaving me to ponder the greatest guilt she has put upon me; or rather, what I put upon myself. I began to cry, but it was mostly emotionally. Tears streamed down my cheeks, but my body was to weary to shudder. I had done it again. I had made yet another enemy.

-------------------

The sun was jutting in through the blinds just as my eyes were heavy enough to close. The birds chirping outside seemed surreal and far away, as it surely wasn't possible that they were singing for me. How could anyone, or anything, praise me after the events that night?

Then again, when did anybody ever have a reason to praise in the first place?

I slowly trudged out of bed, my will to sleep defeated, and walked into the bathroom without turning on the lights. I looked at myself in the mirror and a tear-stained, dreadful-looking girl gazed back in the darkness. I thought about turning on the lights, but if it were any brighter my eyes would burn. Then I heard a sigh from next door and temporarily stopped my moping.

With small tiptoes, I walked cautiously to the wall and put my ear against the cool, baby-blue wallpaper.

The floors old wood boards moaned as he got up from bed, the rusty springs sqeaking as their tention was released. My pulse quickened as the footsteps came closer to the wall. I almost pulled away when I remembered there was a wall in between us and it was impossible for him to notice what I was doing. Perhaps I was unprepared for the strength of my senses to hear so clearly what was going on next to me. I held my breath anyways and listened as he lifted a metal object from the desk level with me on the other side. A few quick clicks and "damn…", was heard as his cigarette refused to light.

I fumed with anger, fearing I would burn a hole in the wall, as he wrenched open his desk drawer and fished around his forgotten clutter for a box of matches.

I didn't want to know whether he was successful in his attempt to betray his promise to me, so I turned away from the wall and turned on the sink. The icy water woke me up as I washed my face, not going near the bottles of flowery scented exfoliation soaps Kyara put in there when I first arrived. I noticed my cheeks were blazing hot, even under the freezing temperature. I dabbed my face with a moth-bitten washcloth and noticed there was no more noise coming from the other room.

My heart surged at the thought of him knowing I had heard him.

It was then the memories of the kitchen flooded back again, and I felt sick to my stomach. I was almost positive he hated me now. What Kyara said had stung hard, though I had a hard time understanding them. I had yelled so loud, so hard…

Then, an even more terrifying thought entered my head and I froze in the middle of getting dressed. What if Havoc heard our conversation last night?

I furiously pulled on a white camisole and jeans as I painfully tried to keep that thought from expanding, but the more I tried to avoid it, the more I thought about it. It all made sense, too.

If I was easily able to hear him this morning, when he was just walking around his room, wouldn't he just as easily be able to hear our very loud arguing last night? I quickly tried to turn these logical thoughts away as I put up my hair in a painfully-tight ponytail. Perhaps he wasn't in his room when she came up to talk to me. Yes, that's it. He wasn't in his room…

But if Kyara left after the kitchen was clean, wouldn't he?

I cursed, more loudly than intended, and pounded a fist against the wall. If he had hear what I said, it could ruin a lot of things, considering half of what came out of it was a lie so Kyara would leave me alone…

Especially the one about wanting to have never met him…

My face's temperature rose again, and I closed my eyes as a headache began to form. I head his door shut and quick footsteps walking down the hall. He was so close, yet… just out of my reach.

Perhaps I did need to speak with him.

No. Silly me.

------------------------

"Did you get enough sleep last night, Rose?" Kari said as she saw me walk into the kitchen for breakfast. I guessed she was noting the dark circles under my eyes and the way my eyelids drooped in the presence of hard work. It was baffling how she could be so exuberant at 6:00 am. I noticed instantly Kari was alone. Kyara was no where to be seen.

"Where's Kyara" I asked, ignoring her question that reminded me of the past few torturous hours. She shrugged casually.

"I don't really know. She's usually down here before me, but I haven't seen her. I bet she's just sleeping in. We had quite a bit to clean up last night."

Odd, I thought. And coincidental. My stomach began to grumble as I smelt Kyara's slightly burned scrambled eggs. I hadn't eaten last night. Her cooking reminded me why she wasn't usually in the kitchen.

"What happened with nursing? I thought you were working in the hospital wards."

My comment seemed to upset her, as she stopped cooking for a moment as a frown fell upon her face.

"Well… they sorta, kinda… kicked me out… because I … well…"

"Because you…" I prompted, and a blush rose on her cheeks.

"Well because… I can't really … completely control my, um, powers yet…"

I coughed in order to keep a laugh from spurting out, as I knew exactly how she felt. She looked over at me and I realized I hadn't quite concealed my amusement.

"What is so funny about that? It's embarrassing!" she said, a worried expression coming over her face.

"Kyara," I said, looking into her big, scared eyes, "That is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure you'll get them down soon enough. It just takes time and patience."

Coming from the girl who didn't know how to control her own powers.

But she turned back to the scolding eggs and put them gingerly onto the plate as a small smile crept onto her face. "You really think so? Because I certainly don't want to be stuck in front of a stove my entire life…"

She picked up the plate of blackened unrecognizable mess and we both laughed softly together.

"I don't think anybody else wants you in the kitchen either." I said jokingly and we both laughed a bit more. I noticed how bright I was since I had entered the room. Troubles seemed far away as I talked to Kari.

"Let me help you with those." I said and carefully took the pan from Kari, evenly laying the egg mixture onto the pan. Kari sighed as she watched my technique carefully.

"Thanks Rose," I heard her mutter quietly. I felt embarrassed so I didn't look at her, but kept my eyes on the pan.

"It's nothing. Eggs are quite simple to make." I said matter-of-factly, but Kyara didn't say anything more. I had a feeling she wasn't talking about the eggs.

Perhaps I hadn't lost _all_ of my friends.

------------------------

We were halfway through serving our eggs and Kyara still hadn't arrived. Some soldiers even asked where their favorite cook was, but Kari told each one the truth: nobody knew.

I was handing a plate to a soldier with hunger in his eyes when I saw _his_ group walk in. I felt my chest jump and the butterflies in my stomach waking up from their nap. It felt wrong to be looking at him, as if I shouldn't be; but I couldn't look away.

Even when he wasn't looking at me, I felt that impenetrable energy between us, just as when he was always in the room. His recognizable friends were chatting loudly around him, but his expression was blank and unreadable as he walked with his group. I watched him stifle a yawn as they got in the back of the line for food, feeling more guilty every second I stared. I heard Kari poke me in the arm and say something, but it didn't register. All I could concentrate on was him, and what he would do.

Almost too quickly, his eyes flicked directly towards me. He didn't even have to search the crowd. It felt like a shock, to be looking at each other again. I felt like a deer in headlights, and froze a moment. Then, before I could think of anything else, I dropped down and ducked behind the counter of the serving window, my heart fluttering wildly. I kept thinking of what I had said last night, feeling horrified.

"Rose, what on earth are you doing?" Kyara hissed down at me as her hands clumsily handed plates to the eager hands of starving brutes.

"I can't do this!" I said to her, and partially to myself. She was completely clueless.

"Look, Rose, I don't know why you're acting so strange, but I'm kind of handing out all these plate single-handedly and could use a little help!" she hissed, frustrated. I closed my eyes and counted to ten before I braced myself and peeked over the counter.

He was gone.

I shook my head and stood up. Perhaps I had imagined it. This whole situation was stupid and I had made a fool and coward of myself. I could fee Kari's confused stare as I began passing out the plates again, the line almost finished. The group of his friends were getting closer and closer to the window, the line going at a smooth pace. I could hear bits and pieces of their mindless chatter before the one with grey hair and slitted eyes spotted me. I looked back to the meals as I saw from peripheral vision the group slowly turning every one of their heads on to me. They had stopped talking.

"Rose… you look a little pale…" Kari said softly with a concerned voice. I shook my head, keeping my eyes down on the plates. The stout, redheaded man approached me first from the group.

"G'mornin' Rose." He mumbled softly. I kept my eyes down on the plates and gave a small nod. The others followed, all burning holes through my skull, not saying a single word to each other or me. When they were all gone, I let out my held breath.

"What's keeping you so-"Kari began, but she didn't have to finish. She watched the group sit down at a table. I looked up when I thought it was safe and followed them with my eyes. Havoc was sitting there already, and my stomach lurched. It took all my concentration not to look at him.

"Oh…" she said softly as I handed out plates to the last couple soldiers. I couldn't hear their loud chattering returning, and I assumed they were talking to Havoc…

"Look, I didn't get enough sleep last night. Mind if I go upstairs and take a nap?" I asked Kari as we began cleaning up. She was still looking over at the group.

"I've never seen them so quiet… they keep looking over here…" she giggled. "Maybe… oh, do you think they have noticed my new makeup foundation??"

"So you won't mind if I go up and take a nap, then?" I asked, frustrated.

"Yeah sure anything… I'll take care of it…" she said dreamily, twisting a lock of her hair. I went strait for the door.

But somebody opened it before me.

"Hello ladies" Roy said as he casually leaned against the door frame. I stopped dead and heard Kari drop the dirty pan on the floor.

"Roy!" she said exasperatedly. I didn't know what to do so I just stared. He had a smug look like he always did. I was surprised he was in the kitchen so randomly.

"Breakfast go good this morning?" he asked Kari, but his eyes flitted over to me now and then.

"Oh, it went great! With Rose here, anyways. She saved the day."

"Is that so?" He looked at me. I gulped hard.

"What brings you here, colonel?" I asked sheepishly. His expression didn't change.

"Well, I actually came here to talk to you, Rose. You wouldn't mind if I talked to her alone for a moment, would you Kari?" He looked over at her. I could hear her stutter with surprise.

"Uh, well, yeah sure. Go ahead." She said quickly. I watched Roy look at her expectantly as she stood staring for a few seconds.

"OH! Right…" She quickly rushed out of the room, blushing hard as she brushed past Roy and into the cafeteria. The door shut loudly.

"Rose…" he said, taking a step towards me. He inspected me thoroughly before continuing. "… you're acquainted fairly well with my good man Jean Havoc, right?"

He watched closely as my expression turned to shock. What was he getting at?

"Well… I suppose… that… um… s-sort of." I stammered. His smile grew bigger. I hated feeling powerless lately.

"Alright… well, I'm not sure if he's talked to you lately, but he's been a bit… gloomy lately. Out of character, you might say." He said slowly. I felt light headed from the blood surging to my face. "Happen to know anything about it?"

"N-no." I said almost instantly. He didn't believe me though, of course. He already knew the answer. He squinted his eyes and pursed his lips, crossing his arms in front of his badge-covered chest. I took a step back, but he took another two forward, a foot or two away, leaning his shoulder now against a large cabinet of cooking supplies.

"Are you sure about that?" he questioned, his lips now tightened to keep him from smiling. I tried to look anywhere else, and accidentally looked out the window into the cafeteria. The group was gone except for Havoc, who sat with his head resting against his palm, his elbow perched on the table. He looked like he was daydreaming, but his eyes, in a quick second, looked over at the kitchen and back to the table again. I shuddered and looked back at Roy, who now couldn't keep his smile hidden. He knew where I was looking.

"That's what I thought." He said, standing up strait. I sucked in a breath, surprisingly afraid of him at the moment. "Do you mind speaking to him a little bit? Figuring out what is wrong? His friends have failed in doing so, but I think they all have an idea." He said, his eyes looking at me intently.

"What about?" I asked in a quiet voice. He just shook his head and laughed towards the floor, somehow finding my question funny. Then he looked back up.

"You know more than me. I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said softly, then turned around and walked back to the door. Right as he left, Kari bounded in with wide eyes.

"What was that about?" she asked, intense curiosity in her eyes. But I didn't answer. I heard a strange sound on the other side of the door into the alleyway, like alchemy about to be cast. I took a deep breath and yelled as loud as I could, acting off of impulse.

"_Get down!" _

But my words were swallowed by the big explosion that sent everything within a 6 foot radius flying towards the back wall where Kari and I stood. A hot, pulsing wave lifted me off the ground, blinding my vision and knocking me back against the wall. My head hit the hardest, ears ringing instantly. Everything happened at once, the sharp pain along my back, the dizzy feeling in my head, muffled shouts coming closer, black smoke filling my lungs as cooking utensils clattered all around the floor. I couldn't move. I couldn't breath.

"Rose!" I heard Kari cough within the smoke. At least she could speak.

Screaming pain blared in my head and all over my body, and my lungs refused to take in air. All I could see through my half-closed eyes was black smoke and tiny stars. Far away shouts came from all around me, and I heard the sound of the door being yanked open. I wanted to scream from the pain of a thousand hot, stabbing needles, but the breath to do so didn't come. I felt two icy hands on my neck and forehead, voices surrounding me. I could only catch a few of them.

"She's not breathing!"

"What the hell happened!"

"CPR!"

Then, I felt pressure. A steady, pulsing pressure, right on my chest. Two ice cold hands. My lungs ached, longing for air, and the pain around my body increased. I felt the pain wouldn't go away, and my life was soon to end. The pressure finally stopped as a shaky hand opened my mouth while the other braced my head.

My lungs finally expanded as air surged inside, wonderful, sweet oxygen that I thought I would never breathe again. I could feel my hand reach for my liberator, clasping their uniform sleeve. Their lips left my mouth and I began taking sharp, painful breaths. I wanted to take in a huge breath, but it felt as if a knife stabbed my sides. I managed to let out a small scream.

"She's breathing!" others said around me. I could hear I had gathered quite a crowd, but I couldn't open my eyes. They stayed clenched shut with my horrible headache. Kari's voice pierced through the rest.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, get her to the hospital ward!"

My hand hurt from clutching the person's sleeve, but I didn't let go. All the tension kept my hand locked there, stiff, painful. I let out another scream as I took another deep breath.

Two arms scooped me off the ground, and excited voices cluttered my ears. They soon disappeared though, and the air around changed. The pain was still deafening as a small breeze ran through my hair. One eye opened slightly, and I could see we were walking fast down a corridor.

Eventually I was set down on what felt like a soft cloud, but my hand never let go of the sleeve. Every breath I took sent sharp jolts of pain down my back and up through my skull, and each time only enough breath to keep me alive.

I felt the cold hand slip into my free one, so I clenched onto it.

"Shhhh..." I heard whispering next to my ear, the first thing my companion said. I began shivering while I gasped for air, feeling the tiniest bit calmer. I felt nurses speaking commands as they inspected me.

"Broken ribs… fractured the vertebrae in many places… no bruises or cuts… odd..."

They didn't think I could them. I felt tears budding in my eyes from pain and panic. Back injuries were hard to overcome.

"Sir, you have to leave." One of the nurses said as she attempted to gently loosen my grip on his hand. I began breathing harder, sputtering out words.

"No… saved… me… can't…"

The nurse let go finally, and clicked her tongue. "Can't say I can do anything, but only until we go into surgery."

A mask was put over my mouth and the oxygen changed. Soon, I could no longer hear the voices or feel anything around me.

**Hope I haven't lost my touch. Reviews are always lovely and are inspiration. Actually, I just read the book Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. I actually disliked it (shocking!) for reasons you are free to ask me about. It did although inspire me to continue writing. I guess a sappy vampire romance was just what I needed!**


	25. Chapter 25: Trust

Chapter 25

**Another chapter. Hope you guys like it… **

Chapter 25

Faint voices woke me up, so faint I thought they might be a dream. There were two, one of them Kari. The other one was too low to recognize. 

"An alchemy circle? So we're looking for an alchemist…" 

"Definitely. But that doesn't come close to eliminating the possibilities. There's hundreds in the military and plenty wandering the streets." 

"Well we know it can't be Ed or Kyara. They both are gone."

"And we know they are after Rose… that explosion seemed to be directed towards her way. I was hardly hurt." 

There was a pause. 

"Do you know something?" Kari asked. There was no answer from the male. 

I figured there would be no more. I took in a breath and felt it didn't hurt quite as bad. That didn't mean, of course, that it didn't hurt at all. I reached out my hand that was connected to a number of lifeline tubes to the speakers. I heard Kari gasp as I moaned from the aching. 

"I think she needs to hold on to something." 

The person hesitated before I felt the same strong grasp gingerly place their hand within my reach. The person who saved me was still here by my side. 

I wanted to figure out who the person was but I could feel sleep coming again. Their chair slid over closer to my bedside as I began shivering from a cool breeze that was coming from the window behind me. The hospital sheets were very thin and didn't help my breathing. 

Before I could grimace to let them know I was cold, I felt a warm blanket drape across my shivering body; My cue to finally drift to sleep was whispered in the person's final words.

"Just relax."

"Who are you?"

Consciousness was slowly floating back. The hospital room was silent now, save the beeping of the heart monitor and my slow breaths whistling through the tubes. I opened my eyes and saw moonlight creeping through the shades of the window above my head. My heart jumped as somebody rustled in the chair beside me. 

"Rose, are you awake?" 

I saw Kari stretching in my peripheral vision as she too woke up from sleep. I began to sit up and felt only a slight aching compared to before. The numerous tubes connected to my body were the only things keeping me. She watched me intently as I struggled to sit upright, expressionless. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly. 

"Were you the one who saved me?" I asked, watching her shake her head. 

"No, Rose." She whispered. 

"Then who did?" 

Her expression didn't change, but her voice got even softer. 

"I think you know." 

I didn't need any more. Before I began feeling faint again, I began slowly taking out each tube. Kari gasped. 

"Don't !"- She began, but realized with a sigh that I wasn't going to be stopped. My hands were shaking no matter how I tried to control them as sentences ran through my mind. How to talk to him…

I rose from the bed calmly, in no need of rushing. She stood up from her chair. 

"Where are you going?" she asked with eagerness as I began walking down the hall. 

"I think you know," I said without looking back. 

My mind was going miles per hour as I walked down the dark corridors. Everyone was in bed at this time. I was still wearing the pajamas given by the hospital ward and I could feel the cold tile on my bare feet. My heart accelerated as I turned onto the corridor of our dorms. Each step sent my stomach sinking lower and lower until I reached his door. 

I hesitated. Running over the first question I would ask and taking a deep breath I knocked three times on his door. Flushes of nervousness tingled over my body as I waited. 

He didn't come to the door. For a moment I thought, perhaps, he hadn't heard me. Seconds passed and I thought I should knock again. 

An idea passed through my mind and I left the empty room. As I went down a few flights of stairs, I tried to be as silent as possible. I finally reached the door to outside and went out silently. 

Cool air picked up my hair as I looked around the dank, dimly-lit streets. He was no where to be seen, but the scent of cigarette smoke loomed in the air. I took a deep breath in to soak in the senses of the city. Finally, I was able to single out and follow the scent. 

Before entering the alleyway, I leaned up against the edge of the icy wall. I felt someone directly behind it exhaling a puff of smoke. 

At that moment all my courage abandoned me. I had somehow convinced myself this was a bad idea. But before I could walk away, my feet moved me around the corner to face him. 

There we were, face to face. I presumed he had already heard me as he looked as if expecting me to arrive. Our eyes locked and I had forgotten all I wanted to say. He looked down at his cigarette a moment. 

"Sorry," he said as he dropped it onto the ground, smothering it with his boot. I noticed he had a button-up polo with the top few buttons let loose so he could feel the nocturnal breeze. I gathered up the strength. His hair hung over his face as it usually did, although a bit more bedraggled. 

"How long have you known?" I shakily asked. I felt my hands quivering uselessly at my side. He looked up with surprise. 

"About what?" he replied. I sensed bluff in his voice. I had to be more straightforward. 

"About… who I am." 

My voice was cracking now and he looked at me truthfully, as if carefully choosing the right words in his head. 

"How long?!" I demanded. 

"Ever since you arrived."

I stared unbelievingly. 

"What… what do you mean?" I whispered. My legs felt about to crumple underneath me. He was looking strait at me, those same eyes I saw the first time we met. Then I knew.

I knew all along it had been him. Everybody else knew there was something going on too. I knew from the moment he looked at me he knew who I was; he knew I was an assassin. I had just been too foolish to realize. It was him who stopped me from murdering the colonel. It was him who had saved me from the explosion just the day before. It was him in the alleyway…

And now he was leaving. He brushed past as I began to gather all thoughts. 

"Where are you going?!" I called out as he made his way across the courtyard. The night gave it an eerie, ghostlike aura, the way the cherry blossom leaves whispered with the wind and leaves danced along our feet. Everything seemed surreal, like it was just a dream. Havoc stopped halfway between the alleyway and the steps a moment before continuing to walk slowly. "Stop!"

He didn't. I had to run to catch him as he reached the last step. He looked the other way as I caught him at the top, hardly able to breath. 

"How did you know?" 

"There are ways, Rose." He said softly, as if him telling me he knew my biggest secret didn't phase him at all. I could feel my blood boiling, especially as he said my name. 

"How do you honestly think I feel right now?" I whispered harshly. He continued to look away, his eyes growing stone cold the more I questioned him. I waited a few moments to study his face and realized he wasn't going to answer me.

"Where are my parents?!" 

My piercing words echoed into the courtyard. His eyes shot towards me and the next thing I knew he had grabbed my arm harshly and began leading me down the steps. I could feel myself tripping but was unable to fall with his unyielding grip keeping me up. His fingers tensed as we kept walking, making our way across the street. His breath was fast and harsh, and anger was rippling off of him like I had never felt before. We were passing walls of stones and turned a corner into another alleyway. 

Darkness covered us as we entered; the same alleyway I had taken on the way to the flower shop. There he roughly pushed me against the wall, a move I was quite used to by now being in this town. His hands poised me against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. It took everything not to melt underneath his strength, just as the last time we were in this situation. This time it was a little different though. 

"Rose," He said hoarsely. "You don't understand," 

"You haven't given me a chance to." 

"Shhh… just listen." He paused. Trying to compose himself, he swallowed loudly. His hands began shaking. "You don't want to know who your parents are, alright?"

"I'll decide that for myself. But first, tell me who-"

"No!" he shrieked. His hands fastened down even tighter, shaking. "Just listen to what I am saying… it's not worth trying to see them. They… are not human. They are not like you or me."

"Are you saying I am normal?" I retaliated. "If you really know who I am then you must know I am not normal. You have seen what happens to me when I get carried away!" 

"Look Rose, you just won't listen. You have to trust me."

There was that word. Trust. My whole life I hadn't been able to trust a single soul, yet now I was forced to trust the person who had lied behind my back the moment I entered Central Headquarters. Any other time I had met somebody who asked for my trust I had ended up stabbing them in the back. Literally.

"I can't," I truthfully admitted. Breathing ceased to expel from both of us at these words. Silence filled the area, coldness creeping up from the pit of my stomach. Although I couldn't see his face in the darkness, I could feel his eyes penetrating me, filled with urgency. His hands loosened their grip on my arms, feeling as though he was giving up. His voice was as swift as the wind.

"Then there isn't anything more I can do for you."

"Please. Just tell me who they are." 

One of his hands gently lifted from my arm, leaving a spot of lost warmth. I was taken by surprise as his fingers, warm and cautious, brushed across my cheek to replace a stray strand of hair. My cheeks were burning under his touch. 

"They are nothing like you." 

And then he walked away, chilling air sucking away his warmth. His footsteps echoed down the alleyway as I slid down the wall, finally left to collapse. I felt as empty as the alleyway, too shocked to move. 

Or so, I only thought the alleyway was empty. 

"Let us meet your parents, then." 

**Sorry for the cliffy. Couldn't resist!! I'm sure I'll write more soon so don't worry.**


	26. Chapter 26: Lessons to Learn

8

**Author's Note:**

**Well… happy reunion, ! I know… it's been a while… like, yanno, years nbd…**

**But in all honesty, I never forgot about this story. It's taken a lot of time to find the right inspiration. I've had most of this chapter written for a while now, but never knew how I wanted it to end up. Now, I am more positive about where I want this story to go. Just had a few years of writers block :)**

**For those of you who miraculously remember me, or this story, I apologize for the wait and hope that you still enjoy this chapter. If not, it's cool, we all grow out of our old habits and such! **

**For those who are new to my story, welcome! I would definitely suggest you start at chapter 1. Regardless, hope you give it a chance. Hopefully updates will be coming more frequently. Oh, how I love summer : )**

**Without further procrastination, here is chapter 26!**

Chapter 26

I was up in the blink of an eye, adrenaline rushing through my chest. The voice was unfamiliar and almost inhuman, like I've never heard before. I could not see them in front of me, but I knew they saw me. I looked around frantically, trying to adjust to the dark but all I could sense of him was his dark, demonic laugh closing in on me. The glint of his white teeth began to show.

"Stay back…" I warned, my fist opening as my fingers began to morph into weapons.

"You have so much to learn, Rose." He hissed, stopping in his tracks. I didn't recognize the voice. "Lesson one… always be on your guard!"

Without warning a tight fist pounded into my stomach, hurtling me backwards with immense force. My body collapsed onto the cool pavement as I struggled to catch the wind that was knocked out of me. Stars dazzled in my head as I struggled to my feet again, realizing my power might not be what helps me win the fight.

"Lesson two: never show weakness!"

Before I could even sense him, he was behind me with my wrist in a death grasp. Immense pain was shooting through my arm as I doubled once more onto my knees with the feeling this was more than easy for him. I tried not to scream but I gave up right as he gave a little way.

"Lesson three: know who you are dealing with." He whispered close to my ear before twisting me around to my feet. Before he could say another word I used my free hand to aim for his face. I let it scrape across whatever was in front of me and quickly scooted back, sure it must have done some damage. Another eerie laugh was not to be expected.

"You are not learning a thing, Rose." He sneered. I felt as if I knew this person, even though his voice was unfamiliar.

"Who are you?" I growled, ready to strike at any given chance.

"I can be anybody you want me to be." He cooed. I heard a low mumble in the air, the sound my hands made when they changed. "A close friend, maybe?"

Kyara! It was her… it was her voice. It was her voice, but it couldn't be her… it was coming out of the person in front of me. I heard the noise again.

"A coworker?"

It was Roy now. I began to panic, not knowing who or what I was dealing with. Their voice matched perfectly. He began walking towards me, changing once more.

"Or perhaps… somebody who knows too much about you."

I stumbled back at the sound of his voice. It could have been Havoc standing in front of me, as hearing the voice almost led me to believe it. I had to tell myself it wasn't him inside. He was right in front of me.

"You wouldn't hurt somebody close to you, would you?"

I hesitated with fear, telling myself it wasn't the person I thought it was. My hand went straight for his stomach but he was faster and caught it as quickly as I executed it. I felt his hand changing back into the stone cold grasp as he morphed once more. He clicked his tongue disappointingly.

"No no, Rose… you want to know about your parents, don't you?"

I stared at the shadow, slowly beginning to see him. His violet eyes and white teeth gave off a distinct glow that certainly wasn't human. I could faintly see long strands of hair streaming over a headband with an unknown sign stitched on, possibly alchemy. I was intrigued by his confidence in the knowledge about my parents, but his first impression was strong enough to turn me away from the subject.

"Maybe I don't… if it means associating with hideous creatures like you."

His glowing smile disappeared.

"If I am a hideous creature, my dear, then you must be one as well." He growled. My wrist was turned over in his grasp and I felt his eyes examining my hand. "I bet you can't even explain why or how these weapons appear."

He definitely had me there.

"Maybe not… but I know what they are used for!"

With that, I thrust my free hand strait at his face. He let go and stumbled back a ways with only a small grunt. I thought for sure it had shocked him but he quickly regained his posture. His eyes were glaring daggers and I knew he was too strong for me to fight. I had to use the other option: run.

Without knowing where I was going, I turned around and took a few steps. I stumbled back, though. There he was. I had underestimated him.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, Rose."

I began backing up slowly, hoping to get some distance before I tried to make a run for the safe walls of HQ. When I was five feet away and he took a step, I fled.

My adrenaline was pulsing harder than before. Every other second I could feel him behind me, breathing hard and fuming anger. The street lights were coming closer and closer. I pushed myself harder and harder, running faster. The creature behind me was breathing louder now, right on my heels.

_Almost there… almost…_

Light spilled onto me as I reached the sidewalk. I curved to the left, my feet pounding on the cobblestone street as I went for headquarters. I could no longer hear him behind me but I felt his eyes watching from somewhere. He could be in front of me, to the sides of me, anywhere. I stopped in the middle of the street. Headquarters was just around the corner, shrouded in darkness, but that could be risking my life.

I closed my eyes, trying to hear his breath or soft pattering of his feet. Nothing but the restless wind could be heard. I would see his shadow in the corner of my eye but when I looked, nothing would be there.

I slowly began to walk again towards the right corner, knowing HQ was only a sprint away. Once I reached the corner, there would be a dark patch of shadow before I reached the courtyard. If I could just make it past that area and through the doors of the main office, I would be safe. I reached the corner, took a deep breath, and ran in.

An icy hand grabbed my throat and forced me to the ground, a body pinning me down. My head slammed to the ground and pain surged through my face. I was screaming internally but couldn't utter a sound. The hand was still at my throat and I looked up to see who it belonged to. My eyes were slowly becoming fuzzy from the impact but I could make out the piercing violet eyes and white-toothed grimace.

"You can't run away from who you are, Rose." The boyish creature said with a demonic voice, much harsher than before. I could feel my body beginning to go numb, my lungs aching for a breath.

But something inside me changed. I began to get angry. My body was in pain and it made me furious after all that had happened that day: I had put up with that long enough. I closed my eyes and felt strength returning, pulsing through my veins. I was not going to let him overcome me.

With a sudden jolt of energy, I felt myself ripping his hand away from my throat, pushing him off of me, and getting to my feet with unnatural ease. I opened my eyes and the strength left me, my legs suddenly feeling like jelly and my lungs grasping for breath. I leaned against the wall, astounded at how quick that immense strength had come and gone. My attacker was slowly getting up from the ground, at as much of a loss of energy as I was. He bent over with his hands on his knees, shocked as well. His eyes peered through his dark green strands of hair, looking like a rabid animal.

"So it's true… you are their kid." He said, slowly regaining posture. His eyes scanned me closely, leaving an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. "You're coming with me. They'll want to see this."

I stared at him in disbelief, slowly backing away with difficulty. My legs felt ready to collapse. I had no idea who he was talking about, but I didn't want to find out. He chuckled again, regaining his composure. He realized he was gaining back his strength. "You don't want to make this difficult, do you?"

"I'm not coming with you. Just leave me alone." I said breathlessly, my voice quavering. "I'm not who you think I am!"

"Am I going to have to track you down?" He asked calmly, walking forward. "I wish you would just cooperate."

"The military will come after you, you know. They'll kill you, and I'll be happy to watch!" I cautioned, trying with little success to scare him away. He continued edging forward.

"Those puny military soldiers? Ha! They are no challenge. We don't hesitate in killing them, like you did. You see, it is our nature. Go ahead and tell them, if you have enough courage," He jeered, just as I reached the end of the wall, HQ courtyards right behind me. "Come on, Rose. Who would you rather be on sides with? The weakling military or your brothers and sisters, or the all powerful homunculi?"

So that's what he was: a homunculus. I had had enough chatter with this superhuman freak. I quickly turned around and jogged off to headquarters. He let me go, knowing we were too close.

"You will join us one day, Rose! Just wait!" I heard him yell from the streets as I closed the glass doors without looking back.

I had run up all the stairs and down the halls, leaving me hardly enough energy to pound on the door. Beginning to tear up probably didn't help to conserve my energy either. I wasn't even thinking when I went to this room; it was just instinct. There was no way I could be alone in my room after what had just happened. I was weak and hurt even more than that. He was the only person I felt could understand my weakness.

The door was cold against my feverish body, which was shaking on low blood sugar and frantic nerves. I kept feeling the angry eyes watching me, following me. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the paranoia and shock, until the door clicked.

My support was falling away and I stumbled forward, falling into two strong arms. He muttered something in surprise as he lifted me up onto my feet. I tried to stand up strait, but my legs wouldn't help me. I felt helpless, trying to cover up the pain and tears on my face with my scraped-up hand. I could feel myself buckling under, but Havoc wrapped his arms around my torso to help me stay up, letting me lean against his firm chest. I felt myself instantly beginning to relax. His body was warm, a relief from the cold wind. His foot kicked the door shut behind us, cautious of curious soldiers looking for the source of the commotion. It was now silent in the room, except for our breathing and my sniffling attempt to keep back my emotions. It wasn't working out very well.

"Shhhhh…" he whispered into my ear, his deep voice vibrating in his lungs. "Relax… tell me what happened."

"You were right. You… shouldn't have left me there." I sputtered through my hands, feeling like I was going to fall to pieces. "They're after me now…"

He began walking backwards, bringing me with him, and set me down on the edge of his mattress, keeping a hand on my shoulder to steady me. I took my hands away from my face, yet I couldn't look at him. My head was dizzy from all the feelings pulsing through my body, which was bruised and cut up from the fight.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking more worried. After inspecting me a few moments, he reached his hand up to the scrapes right above my brow. I winced at the pain when his fingers gingerly touched them.

"Who did this to you?" he said with anger behind his voice. I began to shake at the thought of coming across that creature-human again.

"I… I don't know." I said honestly. He never mentioned his name. All I knew was that he was somewhat connected to my parents, as Greed was. He had also mentioned the homunculi.

"I think he's a homunculus, like Greed."

Havoc jumped up from the bed and began to pace. His face looked anxious and worried, obviously upset at the mention of those mysterious creatures. I couldn't take the constant movement so I got up and stopped him by the shoulders in mid stride. _Isn't he the one that's supposed to do the comforting right now?..._

"Havoc, who are these people? Do I know them? Or do they know me? I deserve to know!" I said sternly, staring straight into his pools of blue eyes. His sternness was overpowering and began to make my face feel hotter. His protectiveness was giving me butterflies.

For a moment, all we did was stare into each others eyes. I tried to read what was going on in his mind, yet was highly unsuccessful. We were significantly close, and his eyes wandered around my face, inspecting the cuts and bruises.

"Rose… I… I wish I could tell you. But I don't want to hurt you," he said, a hand reaching up to hold my face.

"It's too late for that," I said, and he winced at the realization of his mistake; I already had been prey to what I didn't know, from the tear stains on my face to the sprained ankle that I only now noticed was throbbing. My face was burning under his gentle touch. He shook his head and looked away.

"I don't want to tell you, because I can't even bring myself to believe it… what they think you are. You're not like them. You're not a killing machine."

I could feel guilt rising from the memories of the past, what I had done before reaching this haven. I turned away from his hand, feeling a lump rising in my throat.

"Yes I am… if you do know anything about me, then you must know what… what my job is… I should be executed, along with any other criminals." I admitted. I felt ashamed of myself. How could he see any good in me?

"No, Rose… it's not your fault. You hear me? That's not who you really are."

"Of course it's my fault, Havoc!" I said with frustration, the guilt transforming into beaded tears. His face became fuzzy. "They were my hands that spilt the blood… my actions that caused so many innocent people to die."

Havoc was quiet for a moment, as I struggled to keep my tears from turning into sobs. He gently wiped away the wetness around my eyes. I opened them, seeing the care emulate from his expression.

"Greed. He's the one who made you do it, Rose. Do you really think you would have done all of those things without his control?" He said. His voice was soft. "I've seen you."

My heart began to beat faster, as his face was getting closer. I closed my eyes, and felt the tip of his nose grace my forehead. His soft lips touched, and I felt my legs grow weak, but not from the weariness of pain. I found myself grabbing his shoulders to brace myself, my muscles tensing, wishing to be closer to his warmth. I could feel his breath caressing the top of my head, tickling, sending chills down like a waterfall. His lips released, and his nose slid down to meet mine. His hands slid down from my face and around my waist, as if everything clicked into place. Nobody had ever touched me like that, which such tenderness. Our bodies were so close now.

"There's something else inside of you that they don't have," he whispered. His lips were hardly an inch from mine, and I could hear every breath. "They will never be able to feel emotions… like we do. They will never change you. Not if I can help it,"

The space between our lips was growing smaller and smaller. _Like magnets_.

"On the contrary, dear boy, I am quite touched with feeling!"

Our heads turned toward the window, where we heard the voice, as we snapped back to reality. Havoc's hands clenched the fabric of my shirt tightly, refusing to let go. Greed's white teeth showed through the shadows, his figure kneeling in the window sill. For once, I felt protected in his presence. His eyes darted between the two of us, like a cat inspecting its prey. Havoc made a movement to put me behind him, but I refused to move.

"No…. he's too strong," I warned. I knew what he was capable of. After all, he taught me everything I know. If I couldn't stand a chance with him, then Havoc certainly couldn't. A deep chuckle sounded from the creature.

"If I were you, I would listen to her," he said, his feet moving to the carpet. "I've missed you, Rose. Why haven't you come to see me?" His head tilted curiously, but his eyes were sinister, like a snake eyeing its prey. He took a step toward us, but Havoc, with more force, pushed me back.

"You have a lot of nerve to show up here alone," Havoc said sternly. "There are thousands of specially trained soldiers ready to kill you if you so much as lay a finger on her!"

Greed laughed again, louder this time. I prayed that it woke up a nearby soldier.

"Trust me, Havoc, I'll do much more than lay a finger on her. Much, much more…" he growled, coming forward and backing us up into the door. "She's been a bad girl… very disobedient. Do you know what happens when our kind is disobedient?"

In a flash, Greed's hand was at the side of Havocs face, ripping him away from me with superhuman strength. Havoc was thrown to the ground, and a hand was at my throat, pinning me against the door, nearly knocking all of the wind out of me. A jolt of worry spread over me as I saw Havoc sprawled on the ground, grunting in pain, and I tried with all my strength to tear his hand away from my throat. How was it that my injuries had not hurt as much as Havoc's appeared to be?

"The disobedient don't survive…" he hissed, his fangs gnashing with fury. I clenched my eyes shut, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare, feeling the dizziness in my head. I heard a cry as he reeled up to strike, but before the blow, the door behind me crashed open. We flew to the ground, the hold on my neck gone as cool air flowed into my lungs. Pain was throbbing down my back, and I could hear broken wood crackling behind me, followed by the click of a gun. I scrambled away from Greed, who instantly stood up, but he grabbed my ankle, which only a few moments ago was throbbing, as I attempted to crawl away. I screamed out, but was overpowered by an even stronger voice. I let my claws extend and with as much energy as I could, dug them into the floor to keep Greed from pulling me closer.

"Hold it right there!" came Roy's booming voice. His hand was out, ready to engulf the intruder into flames. I couldn't be more relieved to see him. "What do you think you are doing here, Greed? Don't know realize what you're in for?"

I didn't realize that the two of them had a history. Greed chuckled, not the least bit phased. "I'm just here to reclaim what was originally mine!" he boasted. The colonel cocked his eyebrow.

"With all due respect, creature, we do not think of humans as objects to be claimed," he said sternly.

"Human? Is that what you think she is?.." Greed jested, and he slowly began backing towards the window, enough strength to break through my hold on the ground. My claws scraped across the floor boards, and I could feel my extended fingers being scraped, burning from the friction. I struggled to kick him off, but it was no use. The soldiers behind Roy cocked their guns, halting Greed before he could climb onto the window.

"Human or not, she is not for the taking. Somebody get Havoc off the ground!"

A soldier slipped into the doorway, temporarily distracting Roy. Greed saw this as an opening, and quickly yanked my last hold on the floor and, grabbing my arm, yanked me up to a strong hold. A dagger was to my throat. The arm holding my shoulders had the strength of an anaconda, ready to strangle his prey. My fingers shrank back to normal size, causing even more pain, and blood dripped down onto the floor. I grabbed hold of his arm with my slippery fingers, attempting to keep him from crushing my chest with his steel force.

Roy and the soldiers looked from the floor to where we stood now as if it had all happened within the blink of an eye, although it seemed to last longer to me. I wondered if it was a power Greed had never told me he had, but how could I feel it too? I watched as the soldiers attending to Havoc propped him up against the wall, and he staggered to be upright, showing signs of head pain from his contorted face. Seeing him in pain rose anger from the pit of my stomach. The idea of Greed as my mentor was long gone; he only used me. All I was to him was a pawn in his game, a gateway to headquarters. Why had I never realized this before? That he truly didn't care about or love me?

Then again… how could I have known what love was, with no parents, no friends, no boyfriends, and nobody who truly wanted to get to know me? Havoc… all I could think about was helping him, even though I was the one being held hostage at the end of a very powerful homunculi's dagger. All he ever did was try to help me, and the one moment I see him hurt, I can't reach him. I needed to try.

But there was no way I could wriggle out of Greed's hold. I know from the moment I was in his grasp that he had me. I was going to go wherever he wanted to take me. Roy knew it as well, that this battle was lost, for I saw a slight hint of defeat on his face.

"Well, I know you all have had fun with my little flower here, but I'm afraid playtime is over," Greed said, stepping onto the windowsill. I could feel his legs bracing, ready to spring. "If you don't mind now, colonel, we are already late for an appointment."

"So you want this the hard way, then?" Said Roy, fire sparking at his finger tips. For a moment, I thought he was going to set us both on fire. To kill a very dangerous homunculi, and only having to suffer one casualty, one he didn't trust? It would be a small price to pay. But no matter how stern he looked, I had yet to feel the heat of his flame.

"Why else would I have it any other way? A little game of cat and mouse is always more enjoyable than simply surrendering. Isn't that right, Rose?" he said, and I knew he was trying to exhibit his control over me, as he had done for practically my whole life. Taunting the colonel for his mistakes was even more enjoyable.

"Speak for yourself," I muttered, tired of his antics. He let out a loud laugh that bounced off the walls of the room and into the dark, hollow alley below.

"You always were a charmer," he said, bringing the dagger up to my cheek and letting the blade stroke my face, just light enough not to break skin. "Another reason to accept you back as mine, Rose."

"Enough!" Yelled Roy, just as sick of his derogatory remarks as I was. "No matter what you do, Greed, we will find you. Don't think that just because you are not of our kind that the military doesn't stand a chance against you."

"Well, you have been pretty unsuccessful so far, I must say."

All the while the two were bickering, I couldn't help but stare in Havoc's direction, wishing to return to the moment we had before Greed interrupted and caused more pain to my life. I was the one who brought him into this. He was standing upright again, his blue eyes flaming, switching between Greed and I. I knew he was trying to think of a way to get me free, but there was doubt in his expression as he saw the knife against my neck. When he saw the drying blood on my arms, he found the courage to speak.

"Release her," Havoc growled, causing Greed's attention to dart toward him. What else was he to do?

"Who is this Rose? Your boyfriend?" Greed chortled. "I'm so sorry to say that your relationship will just have to end. Unfortunately, long distant doesn't work out most of the time. It's for the best." He said, clearly not sorry at all and moved closer to the edge. "It was a pleasure to meet your friends Rose, but it's time to say goodbye,"

Roy began to order the other soldiers, who stood braced behind him with guns at the ready. Greed bent down and prepared to jump, and I struggled one last time to attempt an escape. It was hopeless. Havoc flung forward as we left the window sill.

"I'll find you!" he cried out, and his blue eyes disappeared from site as gravity forced us down, and I sucked in hot smoke from Roy's burst of flame as we plunged into the dark alley below.

**It's long, yes? I think my vacationing for this summer is pretty much over, for this and next month anyways. So aside from work, I should be able to find more time and inspiration to continue writing, from my lovely friends (Like Mollyyyy :D ), music, everything. Good to be back : ) **


	27. Chapter 27: Lighter

**See, I've been a good girl, haven't I? And it's pretty long! Took quite a few hours to write. So I hope you enjoy : ) **

Chapter 27

For the first moment in my life, it didn't matter to me who or what I was. I didn't care if I was a human, or an animal, or a hybrid between the two. I didn't care if my name wasn't Rose, or that my parents didn't love me. All I wished for was to be out of the arms that were dragging me down the alley, forcing me away from the only person that I found myself deeply caring for. It was a terrible feeling.

I never knew what it felt like to have your heart ache until it actually happened. My stomach was clenched, and it felt as if there was a string, one piece attached to HQ, and the other to my gut. I could hear the pounding of my heart reach every inch of my body. I was screaming inwardly in frustration at the man holding on to me, hiding behind his round sunglasses with a determined face. He no longer needed to be charming, now that he had me in his possession. His speed was so intense that my legs couldn't even touch the ground, no matter how hard I tried to put them down and run back to the place I now called home. I couldn't even let out a cry of protest, as the pressure on my chest was barely allowing me to breath.

Shots had been fired out of the window as soon as we left it, more of a warning than an attempt to hit their target. A blazing flame had also erupted, barely singing the bottom of my hospital pajama pants, which I was still wearing. I hadn't had a chance to change since I went racing for Havoc after the hospital. I was wearing the least helpful clothes when they would have been the most important, even though I had hardly noticed my wardrobe while fighting the other mysterious homunculus in the alley. It must not have mattered what I wore, then. Maybe it was never my wardrobe or dangerous weapons that helped me become a successful killer. Clearly, however, I still had much to learn.

The blue uniformed soldiers had disappeared a while ago, too slow to have been able to keep up with Greed's incredible speed and strength. They had been at the bottom of the window, threatening to fire, but Greed quickly ripped through a group of them and sped away. There was a reason why the homunculi were hard to catch, and this was just it. They were genuinely stronger, faster, and ultimately, more intelligent, more powerful killers.

Once we were a good distance into the city, Greed's pace slowed to a sneak. We had travelled so fast that I hadn't had an opportunity to try screaming out, perhaps calling the attention of an open window or insomniac that happened to be strolling along. The distant sound of sirens was audible through the crisp air as we rounded the corner into another dark alley with a dead end, adorned with a few wooden boxes and an aged door. Greed held his hand over my mouth as he straightened in the shadows against one of the grimy walls, listening to see how close the soldiers were. The sirens were gradually growing in intensity, and while he was distracted, I navigated my head upward enough to sink my teeth into his calloused hand.

He took his hand away in surprise, and I pierced the air with the loudest scream I could manage. My voice cracked, and eventually gave out as he grabbed hold of my neck and, swinging me around, pinned me against the wall. I wasn't about to give up, however. I let my hands, which had healed by now, grow into the newly discovered black, spindly claws, and began to swing as if I had been using them for years. His grip loosened on my neck slightly as he grunted from the impacts. With a fluster of anger, he yanked me from the wall.

I hit the wooden boxes in the corner with incredible velocity, so incredible that the boxes collapsed under my body, sending small splintered pieces into my skin. My strength dissipated from the immensity of pain, my ears ringing. I couldn't open my eyes, but two hands grabbed my pajama shirt and thrust me up, hardly dragging me off the ground and into a dark room, for the light from the streetlamp had disappeared, and the door shut with a bang. The window was covered with layers of newspaper, and there was a soft, subtle glow.

I lay on the floor, holding my sides, feeling helpless and defenseless. Where was my strength when I needed it? Why must it fail me now? I would have given anything to be anywhere else but the hell I now faced. The dusty ground was icy and bled through the thin cotton I was wearing. I coughed onto the floor, which smelled of mold and stone, and I could feel blood trickling out of my new wounds; I knew that they would heal quickly, and began to shiver as my clothes grew wet and sticky. Greed had surely healed from the wounds I had swiftly given him only a moment ago, and I was the one who would pay for my stupid mistake.

Greed hissed at me sharply, but I couldn't stop coughing and gasping as my wounds attempted to heal themselves, sending shots of numbness up my aching back, and pushing the pieces of wood onto the floor. When my body wouldn't comply with his wills, he bent down to me and grabbed my mouth with his large hand. I could feel his anxiousness.

"If you aren't quiet, I'll rip your arms out of their -"

But he stopped in mid sentence and looked toward the rusty door. Footsteps were heard outside, and I recognized their shoes to be loud and clunky, the sound of military boots. I reached out a hand to make any kind of noise, and swatted a wooden board. It skidded across the floor, creating a clamor; to top it off, I let out a muffled cry underneath Greed's hand. I would have done anything to get their attention, my heart pounding with the anticipation of having it all end now.

Greed was enraged, and as soon as he processed the noise, he ripped me from the ground and held a knife to my neck. We both listened intensely, his hand still over my mouth, but having crushed my hopes of screaming anymore, as the cool blade was close against my skin. We heard the footsteps quicken, closing in on the door. Muffled voices began to stir.

"Check over here, I think I heard something,"

The door rattled, and Greed searched the dark room with a panic. I couldn't see anything but the cracks of light around the door, but Greed was somehow able to see, for he jumped up, opening a tile on the roof and forcing us upwards. Our bodies hit the inside of the vent with a clang, and we both lay over the room. The metal was cold, but my body was hot and slippery from the blood that now was beginning to tighten on my skin. Greed kept the vent open a crack so he could see what was going on, still holding the knife to my neck. I couldn't scream, but could only wish that the soldiers would look up and see the glint of Greed's glasses above them. He quickly whispered to me.

"If you take even the slightest breath, all they will find left of you is your dead body,"

The door below us crashed opened, and both of our breaths stopped. The clicks of guns could be heard.

"Check around"

It was Roy's voice. I was fairly surprised that he was the one leading a chase that, to me, seemed of miniscule importance. Then I remembered that it wasn't me that they were really concerning themselves with, but the man now threatening my death. He was, after all, a highly dangerous criminal, as were most homunculi. His appearance had presented an opportunity for the military to follow a lead, which they hadn't had in a while it seemed. Even if they found my dead body, would they care?

I knew one person who would. Maybe two or three others as well, but they were completely oblivious to the truth.

The soldiers were silently searching the room below us, as I could hear the dust being shifted around the room. A snap was heard as a small flame was conjured, the smell of smoke sifting up through the crack. I heard a board being kicked across the room, most likely the one I had moved. A gunshot was fired, sending a deafening ring throughout the metal vent. I could hear Roy sigh.

"Calm down. It's just a board"

"Sorry, sir" a soldier stifled in nervous apology. After a few silent seconds, the soldiers began to leave. Roy's flame went out.

"Alright. Looks like there's nothing here,"

My heart began to sink. I knew this was the only chance I would have at being in their reach before Greed took me to any place he pleased. I could feel tears beginning to sting my eyes, my body welling up in frustration. Then, a new set of footsteps rushed up to the doorway from outside.

"I think we might have a lead, Colonel!"

My heart practically leapt out of my chest. It was Havoc. Hearing his voice was such a relief, but at the same time, made the tears flow down onto my cheeks. He didn't seem to be interested in the small dusty room. The hope in his voice of possibly finding Greed and I did bring me some happiness, though. My emotions were running in so many directions, none of them quite recognizable to me. Greed's grip grew even tighter on my mouth. I could barely breathe through the small holes in his hand. He had seen us together, knew how close we were; He hated the idea of another man's influence on my life.

"We'll see, Lieutenant. Every place seems to be a dead end,"

"Yes, sir" he said, and I could tell he was trying to hide his disappointment. Footsteps were heard walking away from the door as all the soldiers rushed off. It took my full attention and control not to lurch forward and scream _I'm right here! Don't leave!_

"Lieutenant, come here a minute,"

One pair of footsteps returned. Perhaps there was some hope for me after all.

"I know how you feel about her, Jean. There is an incredible chemistry between the two of you," Roy said softly, barely audible, hoping not to be overheard by nearby soldiers. I closed my eyes, blushing hard. Chemistry, was it? I waited in anticipation.

"I… can't help it, sir. I'm sorry. I know my personal life should not interfere with my duties"

"I understand, Jean. I've been there. Well… I'm there now. But listen. The homunculi are ruthless killing machines. I want you to just… be prepared. For whatever happens,"

"…. To Rose" Havoc said unsteadily, finishing Roy's sentence. There was a break in his voice.

"Yes. You do understand, don't you?" Roy asked. I hoped with all my soul that his warnings would be deemed unnecessary. It felt as if I was listening in on a very private conversation, yet at the same time, my curiosity had taken a turn for the worst. I was hanging on every word he said, thinking back to the moment before Greed had come into the picture. I wished we were there now.

"Yes, Colonel. But I believe that this isn't the end. That can't be the last time I see her," Havoc said with softness in his voice. If only he knew I was so close, listening to his every word.

"Let us both hope that you are right,"

"I… need to know," he muttered with ambiguity. _Know what?_

"Yes. Like I said, just be prepared for the worst," Roy said depressively, and his shoes clunked away. I had not heard Havoc leave. Did he become suspicious? Did he see Greed in the small crack? I heard a sigh escape from him. His clothes rustled, and then the sound of paper. There was a click, like the one of a lighter, and I heard him breath in his cigarette. He exhaled with a slight cough, snapping the cap back on the lighter. I knew he was smoking to calm his nerves. I didn't even care anymore. But as soon as he took a puff, I heard the tap of the cigarette hitting the ground, and his shoe smothering it, the boot's leather squeaking slightly. I felt proud of him. I couldn't help but wonder if it was because of me. I felt a clang in the other corner of the room, and realized that he had thrown his lighter. My body was frozen with fear.

"Rose… if you can hear me right now… wherever you are…"

_Yes Havoc? What is it? I'm right here! _Greed flinched, recognizing my urgency to answer him.

"I need you to know… I- "

But he cut himself off, as a light pair of footsteps approached the door. I cursed in my head.

"Havoc, what are you waiting for?"

It was Kari. I smiled on the inside. Two of the kindest people I knew were standing underneath me. I only wished that they could sense me above them, listening, knowing.

"I'm sorry… I just… needed a minute,"

"It's alright. Roy gets like that, too. But we're going to find her, alright? We have to. I can't lose another friend,"

Her voice was quavering, as if she was about to cry. Both Kyara and I had left her now. It must have been hard on her.

"Yeah… we will,"

"I'll help you. I'm not going to turn back, even if the military gives up. I promise," She said, gaining back her confidence. I had never heard her sound more stern. Her careless, whimsical attitude was gone. I didn't want that to be the last time I heard her voice.

"Thank you, Kari. Let's get out of here,"

"And hurry… every second we waste, they are farther away," she said with urgency.

Except we weren't. Both of them pattered away, leaving the door open. Another set of hot tears rolled down my cheeks. Was what they said true? Did I mean that much to them? It was hard to believe. I couldn't help but wonder if Havoc had told Kari who I really was, for if she did know, then by the sound of it, she must have accepted that fact. She must have understood, as Havoc did, that I never would have wanted to be this way. But there was no point in regretting my past, only the chance to move forward.

There was a pause while Greed made sure that they were gone, and grabbing me by the back of my neck, dragged me out of the vent as if I was a luggage bag. I hit the floor on my side with a smack, noticing the absence of the wounds that had been there only a few minutes ago. I decided not to fight back at this moment, as Greed hastily ran to the door and slammed it shut, unwilling to bear with more pain. Once again, we were shrouded in darkness, and the room was hollow and silent. I could feel a furious energy emulating from Greed. I began to get up when I felt his foot crash into my ribs with a livid grunt. I fell back against the wall, holding my stomach that throbbed with pain. I heard him breathing heavily, and saw his dark figure prepare for a punch. I clenched my eyes shut and shielded my face, preparing for the blow, but none came. He backed away, becoming wary of his self control.

He began to pace, and I looked over in the corner where it sounded like the lighter had landed. When his back was turned, I quickly reached out my hand and grasped the square metal object, shoving it into the small pocket of my shirt. It seemed to fit perfectly. I quickly fastened the single before he whipped around. I waited to see if he would comment, if he had noticed.

"Those stupid brats… sniveling idiots… I can't stand them. They don't know shit," he spat. "They don't know who they're dealing with… especially the boy…"

"He does," I whispered instinctively, and instantly regretted my intrusion. Greed's attention snapped back to me, and I could sense his shining eyes glaring me down. I cowered farther into the wall, expecting that he might hurt me again. He spat onto the ground, gnashing his sharp teeth.

"If he did, he wouldn't be bothering to find you. He would realize that he's a dead man," he snarled dangerously, like an angry wolf.

I hated the way he was talking about Havoc. It took all my energy not to tear his head off with a swipe of my claws. I knew that wasn't probable though. He was saying these things out of jealousy, out of fear. He couldn't stand the loss of control, especially to a human. I slid up the wall onto my feet. His face shot over to me again.

"They won't find you where we're going,"

With that, he grabbed a hold of my wrist. Against my better judgment, I stood fast and refused to move. He paused.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it,"

A white handkerchief was pulled out of a pocket on his belt, and I knew it was covered in chloroform. My heart began to race. If I was knocked out, I couldn't keep track of where we were going, and thus how to retrace my steps if I happened to escape. He closed in, but I ducked underneath his arm. He was quick to grab me however, and stuck out his leg. I tripped over it and swung down to the ground as he took hold of my arm. He sat on top of me, straddling me, attempting to grab my wrists. I let my claws form and slashed blindingly at his figure. I felt one of my claws dig into his face, but with a strand of light over his face, I stared in awe as his skin quickly regenerated. A tight closed smile pressed his lips, and he managed to grab both of my wrists, transferring both of them to one hand with the strength of handcuffs and pinning them above my head. I attempted to move my legs, but the pressure of his body made them numb. My pulse was pounding fast, and I could smell the chloroform.

He pressed the handkerchief against my face, over my nose and mouth. I kept my breath in, attempting to hold it, but my lungs were aching. I could feel my face turning red, and Greed stared down at me with anticipation.

_I just have to hold on… I can't… I can't… _

I exhaled sharply, unable to hold in the carbon dioxide any longer. My lungs took in a strong breath of the chloroform, which instantly began to relax me. My breathing was slowing down as the chemical flooded my lungs, dizzying my head.

"That's right… say goodnight, Rose," Greed cooed, pleased with himself.

His image was becoming fuzzy, and my eyelids were growing heavy. He was talking softly to me, as if putting a small child to bed. The knot in my stomach was loosening as I began to feel a peaceful warmth rise into my chest. I turned my head towards the door, and spotted the smothered cigarette on the floor. I pretended that it was Havoc over me, talking to me gently. My eyelids fluttered to a close, and I sighed deeply, hearing his voice in my head.

_"I need you to know… I need you... to know…"_

Then there was darkness.

**To… be… continued… **

**Reviewwws please! I wanna know who is reading, and what you think! **


End file.
